Mi 


m. 


If 


\; 


Mm 


GIFT  or 


"^m. 


SCHOOLBOY  LIFK 


OUDENDALE : 


A  STORY  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE, 


R.    HOPE    MONORIEP. 


'  Oh  see  ye  not  yon  narrow  road, 

So  thick  beset  with  thorns  and  briers?  — 
That  is  the  path  of  righteousness, 
Thougk  after  it  but  few  inquires. 

'  And  see  ye  not  yon  braid,  braid  road 

Tliat  winds  across  yon  lily  leven?  — 
That  is  the  path  of  wickedness. 

Though  6ome  call  it  the  road  to  heaven." 

.    Th'>mas  the.  Rft^ee. 


NEW  YORK : 
SHELDON    AND    COMPANY. 

BOSTON  :   GOULD   AND    LINCOLN. 

1865. 


CONTENTS, 


CHAPTEB  FAOB 

I.  —  Mother  and  Son 6 

II.  —  New  Acquaintances 16 

III.  —  A  New  Home 30 

IV.  —  OUDENDALE  COLLEGE 43 

V.  —  The  First  Dat  at  Oudendale        ....  60 

VI.  —  Friends  and  Foes 79 

VII.  —  "  Hot  Coals" 91 

Vni. —  "  The  Swells" 105 

IX.  — Mischief 117 

X.  —  Damon  and  Phinthias 132 

XI.  —  Clement  and  Handyside 141 

XII. —  "  Egyptian  Stamps" 158 

XIII.  —  Good  Resolutions 172 

XIV.  —  The  Bully 181 

XV.  —  A  Supper 193 

XVI. —  The  Dawn  of  Light 202 

XVII.  —  Eepentance 213 

XVIII.  —  Counsel 228 

XIX.  —  The  First  of  April 241 

XX.  —  Confessing  Christ 249 

XXI.  —  Slips 264 

XXII.  —  "  Better  than  the  mighty" 274 

XXIII.  —  The  Confirmation 283 

XXIV,  —  "Wise  and  Foolish 290 

XXV.  —  Conclusion 803 


4  3'B  8  3 


PREFACE. 


In  writing  this  book  it  has  been  the  author's  endeavor  to  present  a 
natural  picture  of  schoolboy  life,  and  at  the  same  time  to  invite  the 
attention  of  his  readers  to  the  greatest  of  all  moral  truths.  Many 
think  it  a  want  of  taste  to  mix  up  religious  sentiments  with  the  rec- 
ord of  more  trivial  matters;  but,  believing  as  he  does  that  we  should 
strive  to  make  the  love  of  God  our  ruling  principle  in  everj'  thought, 
word,  and  action,  however  small  or  apparently  unimportant,  he  has 
not  scrupled  in  this  story  to  exhibit  virtue,  sin,  and  folly  all  strug- 
gling together  in  the  every -day  incidents  of  schoolboy  life.  Of  course 
there  are  many  to  whom  such  matters  are  foolishness;  but  the  author 
trusts  that  all  true  Christians  may  approve  of  his  attempt  —  more 
especially  as  he  has  not  wished  to  put  forward  the  opinions  and 
dogmas  of  any  particular  sect,  and  does  not  think  that  any  of  the 
religious  sentiments  which  he  has  expressed  can  be  displeasing  to  any 
who  hold  that  we  are  saved  by  believing  in  Christ,  and  by  his  help 
forsaking  our  sins,  and  striving  to  do  right. 

If  the  author  has  failed  in  his  attempt,  he  would  desire  credit  for 
having  at  least  endeavored  to  succeed.  If  he  may,  in  any  measure, 
be  considered  to  have  succeeded,  may  the  praise  be  all  His  to  whose 
service  the  following  pages  are  humbly  consecrated. 

Jaxuart,  1865. 


OUDENDALE : 

A  STORY  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

MOTHER    AND    SON. 

"  Leaves  have  their  time  to  fall, 
And  flowers  to  wither  at  the  north  wind's  breath. 

And  stars  to  set,  but  all  — 
Thou  hast  all  seasons  for  thine  own,  0  Death." 

Mrs.  Hemans, 

"  Well,  Charlie,  we  must  just  make  up  our 
minds  to  it." 

"  I  suppose  we  must,"  said  Charlie,  with  a 
sort  of  sigh. 

"I  have  no  doubt  that  you  are  getting  on 
well  enough  at  the  Academy  ;  but  I  know  that 
it  was  your  poor  papa's  intention  to  have  sent 
you  to  a  large  public  school ;  and  as  you  are 


6       r'^iy]*'.'  ^'^pW^^^^^^' 

now  fourteen,  it  must  not  be  put  off  any  longer. 
I  will  write  to-morrow  to  Uncle  William,  and 
ask  him  to  get  you  entered  at  Oudendale  Col- 
lege. I  dare  say  it  will  be  a  trial  for  you  to  go 
away  from  home  for  the  first  time,  and  I  am 
sure  I  don't  know  what  I  shall  do  without  you  ; 
but  it  is  for  your  own  good,  so  it  must  be 
done." 

"  I  don't  mind  so  much  for  myself.  I  dare 
say  I  will  like  Oudendale  very  much :  of  course 
it  will  be  much  nicer  being  at  a  regular  big 
school  like  that  than  at  a  small  place  like  the 
Bath  Academy  —  " 

"  Yet '  I  remember  when  you  thought  the 
Academy  a  very  large  school,  and  were  quite 
delighted  with  the  idea  of  going  to  it,"  said 
Mrs.  Campion. 

"  Oh,  that  was  long  ago,  when  I  was  just 
beginning  Latin.  Of  course  it's  a  pretty  big 
school,  but  nothing  to  Oudendale.  I  would 
rather  be  at  Oudendale  —  but  then  I  don't  like 
to  leave  you,  mamma.  I  would  like  never  to 
leave  you  all  my  life." 

Mrs.  Oampion  smiled,  and  shook  her  head. 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  7 

"  I  am  afraid  that  may  not  be,  Charlie,"  she 
said,  sadly.  And,  half  unconsciously,  she  mur- 
mured the  words  of  the  hymn  : 

"  Here  we  meet  to  part  again : 
In  heaven  we  part  no  more." 

Charlie  said  nothing,  but  looked  very  hard 
into  the  fire,  while  Mrs.  Campion  sunk  back 
in  her  chair,  and  seemed  lost  in  reverie.  Her 
worn  and  pale  face  showed  traces  of  much  sor- 
row and  suffering  ;  but  the  sad,  sweet  smile 
which  lighted  it  up  spoke  of  patient  resignation, 
and  that  deep,  calm  peace  which  the  pleasures 
and  pains  of  the  world  can  neither  give  nor 
take  away.  She  had  married  young  ;  and 
six  years  after  her  marriage  her  husband  had 
fallen,  leading  his  company  up  to  the  guns  of 
the  Redan.  She  had  had  four  children,  but  one 
by  one  they  had  dropped  into  the  grave,  leaving 
only  Charlie,  the  eldest,  upon  whom  all  her 
affections  were  now  centred.  She  had  long 
suffered  from  a  painful  and  dangerous  disease, 
but  she  had  no  fears  for  herself.  Her  only 
fear  was  for  Charlie.    Night  and  day  she  was 


8  OUDENDaLe: 

thinking  of  him,  and  praying  for  him.  God 
only  knew  how  fervent  her  supplications  were 
that  her  only  remaining  child  might  be  spared 
to  her,  and  still  more  that  he  might  be  an  early 
seeker  and  an  early  finder  of  his  Saviour. 
Charlie  was  indeed,  like  St.  Augustine,  "  a 
child  of  many  prayers."  Up  till  this  time  he 
had  lived  with  her  at  Bath,  and  gone  to  a  day- 
school  there  ;  but  now  the  time  came  when  she 
felt  that  he  should  be  sent  to  a  larger  school ; 
and  even  to  think  of  separation  was  a  terrible 
struggle  to  her  heart. 

Suddenly  Charlie  broke  the  silence,  and 
jumped  up,     "  I'm  off  to  bed,  mamma." 

"Very  well.  Good-night,  dear.  I  am  going 
to  bed  too  in  a  few  minutes,  for  I  feel  unusually 
tired  to-night." 

Charlie  stooped  over  his  mamma  and  kissed 
her,  and  then  took  his  candlestick  and  left  the 
room.  She  sighed  as  she  heard  him  running 
actively  up  the  stairs. 

"  Poor  fellow  !  He  doesn't  like  to  leave  me, 
and  yet  I  can  see.  that  he  is  secretly  rather 
pleased  with  the  idea  of  going  to  Oudendale.     1 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  9 

do  hope  he  will  get  much  good  there  —  much 
good  every  way  ;  wisdom,  health,  and  above  all, 
holiness.     0  Lord,  make  him  holy  and  happy  !  " 

Breathing  this  prayer,  Mrs.  Campion  rang 
the  bell  for  Eliza,  an  old  and  faithful  servant, 
who  had  been  with  her  from  infancy,  and  with 
whom  it  was  her  practice  to  go  over  the  house- 
hold accounts  every  night,  before  going  to  bed. 

Charlie  went  straight  up  to  his  bedroom,  and 
after  pulling  off  his  jacket  and  winding  up  his 
watch,  he  threw  himself  down  on  his  bed,  and 
began  to  reflect  about  going  to  Oudendale  Col- 
lege. He  felt  that  it  would  be  a  hard  thing  to 
leave  his  mother,  and  go  away  to  a  school  where 
he  knew  scarcely  any  one  ;  but  for  him  at  least, 
the  picture  was  not  without  its  bright  side  also. 
The  famous  games  of  cricket  in  the  Oudendale 
"  Field,"  which  he  had  heard  of,  the  football  in 
winter,  and  above  all,  the  privilege  of  being  a 
real  Oudendale  boy,  and  many  other  considera- 
tions, all  combined  to  form  a  silver  lining  to  the 
cloud  which  was  raised  in  his  mind  by  the 
thought  of  leaving  home.  Hunter  Gordon,  a 
friend  of  his  at  the  Bath  Academy,  had  gone 


10  0T7DENDALE: 

last  year  to  Oudendale,  and  returning  for  the 
holidays,  had  inflamed  him  and  all  his  compan- 
ions with  envy,  by  relating  its  wonders  and 
pleasures.  They  had  two,  at  least,  and  some- 
times more,  half-holidays  in  the  week  at  that 
happy  school ;  and  there  was  a  splendid  cricket- 
ground,  capital  bathing-places,  and,  in  short, 
abundance  of  all  the  luxuries  which  healthy 
boyhood  could  desire,  all  close  to  the  college. 
Indeed,  though  Charlie  had  at  first  been  very 
downcast  at  the  idea  of  leaving  his  dear  mamma, 
the  more  he  thought  of  it  the  more  his  affection 
to  her  became  overbalanced  by  the  enticements 
of  Oudendale,  and  he  almost  wished  that  he  was 
to  enter  immediately,  instead  of  at  Christmas,  as 
had  been  proposed.  Then  again  he  thought  of 
his  mamma,  and  again  he  began  to  feel  that  it 
would  be  almost  impossible  to  part  with  her. 
Then  once  more  he  thought  of  Hunter  Gordon 
and  the  pleasures  of  Oudendale  ;  and,  in  short, 
Charlie  lay  for  half  an  hour  kicking  the  bed 
vigorously  with  his  heels,  and  not  able  to  make 
up  his  mind  whether  he  should  like  better  to  go 
or  to  stay. 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  11 

But  at  length  his  candle  burning  down, 
warned  him  that  he  must  be  thinking  of  going 
to  bed ;  and  he  was  just  pulling  off  his  boots, 
when  he  was  surprised  by  hearing  a  bell  rung 
violently  down  stairs,  and  footsteps  hurriedly 
rushing  about. 

"  I  wonder  what's  the  matter,"  he  thought. 
"  Surely  mamma  must  be  in  bed  by  this  time. 
Here's  somebody  coming  up  stairs." 

"  Master  Charlie  !  Master  Charlie  !  "  cried 
Eliza,  in  a  loud  whisper,  from  the  passage. 

"  Halloa  !  what's  the  matter  ?  "  exclaimed 
Charlie,  opening  the  door. 

"  Your  mamma  —  she's  in  a  fit.  Come  down 
as  quick  as  you  can." 

Charlie  started,  and  his  heart  gave  a  great 
leap ;  and  then  hurrying  on  his  jacket,  he 
pushed  past  Eliza  and  flew  down  stairs  to  the 
dining-room,  where  the  first  object  that  met  his 
eyes  was  his  mamma  stretched  pale  and  insen- 
sible on  the  sofa.  The  other  servant  was  stand- 
ing by  holding  up  her  head. 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  Speak  to  me,  mamma  ! 
Oh  do  speak  !     What  has  happened,  Eliza  ?  " 


12  OUDENDALE: 

"  I  don't  know.  She  just  dropped  down  sud- 
denly, as  I  was  going  over  the  accounts  with 
her.  Run  round  the  corner,  Charlotte,  and 
get  Dr.  Grove." 

"  Oh,  be  quick.  Don't  lose  a  minute,"  cried 
poor  Charlie,  who  was  terribly  frightened,  for 
he  had  never  seen  any  one  in  this  state  before. 

Charlotte  did  not  wait  an  instant,  but  flew  off 
for  the  doctor,  while  Eliza  and  Charlie  waited 
for  her  return  with  anxious  hearts. 

"  0  Eliza !  I  hope  the  doctor  will  come 
soon,"  said  Charlie,  in  a  whisper.  "  Do  you 
think  mamma  is  very  ill  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know.     I  hope  not,"  said  Eliza. 

But  now  Mrs.  Campion  began  to  toss  about, 
and  to  utter  incoherent  and  broken  expressions, 
which  added  to  the  alarm  of  her  watchers.  She 
did  not  appear  to  know  either  of  them. 

"  I  am  here,  mamma.  Don't  you  know  me  ? " 
said  Charlie  ;  but  there  was  no  answer  nor  sign 
of  recognition.  "  Oh,  I  wish  the  doctor  would 
come !  " 

"  Here  he  is,"  cried  Eliza,  suddenly,  as  Dr. 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  13 

Grove's  loud  footstep  was  heard  in  the  hall. 
Charlie  rushed  out  to  meet  him. 

"  What's  the  matter  with  your  mamma,  Char- 
lie, my  man  ?  "  cried  the  doctor,  in  his  cheerful 
voice,  which  in  itself  was  enough  to  give  relief 
to  many  an  anxious  heart.  Charlie  could  not 
speak,  and  silently  led  the  way  into  the  dining- 
room.  But  when  the  kind  doctor  had  entered 
the  room,  and  cast  a  glance  at  Mrs.  Campion, 
the  smile  died  away  from  his  lips  ;  and  though 
he  still  tried  to  keep  up  a  cheerful,  assuring 
manner,  he  knew  that  a  mightier  hand  than  his 
had  been  laid  upon  his  patient.  Carefully, 
however,  he  altered  her  position  on  the  couch, 
and  sending  for  a  basin  of  water  and  a  sponge, 
he  moistened  her  temples  and  her  hands. 
Charlie,  his  first  emotion  over,  was  now  quite 
calm,  and  ran  eagerly  to  fetch  whatever  the 
doctor  asked  for,  though  the  terrified  look  on 
his  face  showed  what  a  shock  he  had  received. 

"  0,  doctor  !  "  he  whispered,  in  a  scarcely 
audible  voice,  "  do  you  think  she  will  die  ?  " 

"  Get  some  more  water,"  said  the  doctor,  has- 
tily, trying  to  elude  the  question.     But  at  that 


14  OUDENDALE: 

moment  Mrs.  Campion  opened  her  eyes,  and 
looking  around  with  a  wild  stare,  muttered : 

"  Where  am  I  ?  I  always  thought — "  the 
rest  of  what  she  said  was  inaudible. 

Every  one  in  the  room  stood  as  if  rooted  to 
the  spot,  and  there  was  a  terrible  silence,  till 
Charlie,  unable  to  contain  himself,  gave  a  con- 
vulsive sob,  and  burst  into  tears.  Suddenly 
she  seemed  to  recognize  him,  and  made  a  mo- 
tion with  her  lips. 

"  Bend  down  your  head  —  she  wants  to  speak 
to  you,"  said  Dr.  Grove.  Charlie  bent  down 
his  head,  and  taking  his  hand,  she  whispered  : 

"I  am  dying.  Good-bye,  Charlie.  God  is 
the  Father  of  the  fatherless,  and  he  will  never 
forsake  you.     Seek  him.     God  is  love." 

"  0,  mamma,  mamma !  "  he  cried,  in  agony, 
as  pronouncing  these  last  words  with  an  effort, 
she  raised  her  heaxl,  gave  a  gasp,  and  fell  back. 

Dr.  Grove  took  him  by  the  arm,  and  gently 
tried  to  draw  him  back. 

"  Your  mamma  is,  I  trust,  in  a  better  world." 

"  0,  mamma,  mamma  !  "  he  cried,  in  a  tone 
which  brought  tears  to  the  eyes  of  the  doctor, 
used  as  he  was  to  such  scenes. 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  15 

In  a  little  while,  when  the  violence  of  Char- 
lie's emotions  had  somewhat  subsided,  Dr. 
Grove  led  him  away  to  his  bedroom,  and  got 
him  to  bed,  giving  him  a  few  drops  of  a  sleep- 
ing draught,  which  soon  took  effect  on  him,  so 
exhausted  was  he  by  this  terrible  hour.  Then 
Dr.  Grove,  who  was  an  old  friend  of  the  family, 
went  down  stairs  and  gave  some  directions  to 
the  weeping  Eliza  and  the  terrified  Charlotte ; 
and  sitting  down,  wrote  at  once  a  letter,  to  be 
despatched  by  the  early  morning  post,  to  Mr. 
Primrose,  Mrs.  Campion's  brother. 

When  Charlie  awoke  next  morning,  feeling 
sick  and  worn  out,  he  could  hardly  persuade 
himself  that  the  occurrences  of  the  past  night 
were  not  all  a  strange  and  horrible  dream. 
But  when  he  went  down  stairs,  and  saw  the 
dining-room  in  disorder,  with  the  basin  of  water 
which  the  doctor  had  been  using  standing  upon 
the  table,  his  sorrow  came  back  with  double 
force.  He  dared  not  yet  go  into  his  mamma's 
bedroom,  but  he  sat  down  in  the  darkened 
dining-room,  feeling  all  alone  in  the  world,  with 
a  heavy,  heavy  weight  at  his  heart. 


CHAPTER  II. 

NEW  ACQUAINTANCES. 

"  All,  all  are  gone,  the  old  familiar  faces/' 

Charles  Lamb. 

The  next  week  was  a  terrible  one  for  Charlie. 
His  uncle  Primrose  came  immediately  on  re- 
ceiving Dr.  Grove's  letter,  and  made  the  neces- 
sary arrangements  for  the  funeral.  He  tried 
his  best  to  console  Charlie  by  making  common- 
place remarks,  such  as  "  We  must  all  come  to 
this  some  day,"  or  "  We  must  try  to  be  re- 
signed," which  generally  had  only  the  effect  of 
making  the  poor  boy  burst  out  crying.  He 
was  really  kind-hearted;  but  his  manner  was 
so  cold  and  formal  and  restrained — so  differ- 
ent from  the  warm,  sympathizing  love  which 
touches  the  hearts  of  the  young  —  that  the 
boy  almost  wished  him  away  in  this  time  of 
calamity.  His  only  comfort  was  sitting  beside 
Eliza  in  the  room  which   had  once  been   his 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  17 

nursery,  and  hearing  from  her  stories  of  his 
mother  when  she  was  young.  These  sad  re- 
membrances always  ended  by  both  the  narrator 
and  the  listener  bursting  into  tears ;  but  then 
it  always  seemed  to  do  Charlie  good  to  cry. 
And  so  the  week  went  on  —  so  slowly. 

At  length  came  the  funeral.  There  was  one 
person  at  it  whom  at  another  time  Charlie 
would  have  been  much  interested  in,  —  Mr. 
Campion,  a  distant  cousin  of  his,  who  had  just 
been  made  one  of  the  masters  of  Oudendale 
College,  —  but  now  he  noticed  nothing  except 
that  his  uncle  was  very  solemn  and  stately,  and 
that  nobody  seemed  to  care  for  his  mamma  but 
himself.  Mr.  Primrose  really  loved  his  sister, 
and  was  much  affected  by  her  death;  but  he 
was  too  cold  and  formal  to  allow  himself  to  be- 
tray the  least  token  of  grief  in  public.  They 
all  stood  bareheaded  in  the  rain  as  the  clergy- 
man read  the  solemn  burial  service,  and  then 
the  clods  rattled  on  the  coffin,  and  earth  was 
given  to  earth,  dust  to  dust,  ashes  to  ashes,  and 
Charlie  felt  himself  all  alone  in  the  world. 

Mr.  Primrose  had  resolved  to  take  Charlie 
2 


18  OUDENDALE: 

away  to  his  own  house  immediately ;  and  so 
the  day  after  the  funeral  they  found  themselves 
rolling  along  the  Great  Western  Railway. 
God's  mercy  has  ordained  that  grief  shall  not 
have  too  close  a  hold  of  young  hearts  ;  and  be- 
fore long  the  excitement  of  the  journey  had 
restored  to  Charlie  a  little  of  his  former  spirits. 
He  was  a  light-haired,  blue-eyed,  well-made 
boy,  with  face  often  dimpled  by  smiles,  and  a 
frank,  generous  expression ;  though  any  one 
who  could  read  features  would  have  detected 
something  about  his  mouth  which  betokened 
just  a  little  vein  of  obstinacy  in  his  character. 
Altogether,  he  was  a  fine-looking  boy,  whom 
any  one  might  have  been  proud  of ;  and  as  Mr. 
Primrose  looked  at  him,  he  felt  that  he  really 
could  love  him,  and  be  a  kind  and  faithful 
guardian  to  him.  But  Mr.  Primrose  never 
told  any  one  his  feelings,  and  so  he  kept  all  this 
to  himself,  and  Charlie  thought  him  terribly 
grand^  and  was  quite  afraid  of  him. 

At  one  of  the  small  stations  a  gentleman  and  a 
boy  got  into  the  same  carriage  with  them.  Mr. 
Primrose  seemed  to  know  the  gentleman  very 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  19 

well,  and  Charlie,  after  a  little  shyness,  struck 
lip  an  acquaintance  with  the  hoy,  whose  name 
he  found  was  Granville  Browne.  He  was  very 
finely  dressed,  and  had  a  manner  which  was 
evidently  intended  to  be  elegant  and  fashiona- 
ble. For  some  time  he  said  very  little,  and 
Charlie  could  think  of  nothing  to  say  to  him, 
till  he  found  that  he  was  on  his  way  to  Ouden- 
dale  College,  the  holidays  having  just  ended. 

"  I  am  to  go  there,  I  think,"  said  Charlie, 
eagerly.  "  I  wish  you  would  tell  me  something 
about  it.     Are  there  nice  fellows  there  ?  " 

"  Oh  —  so,  so,"  drawled  his  new  acquaintance. 
"  Most  of  them  are  rather  low ;  but  if  you  get 
into  a  good  set,  you  will  get  on  well  enough. 
We  have  some  nice  enough  follows  —  Mauri- 
codle,  do  you  know  him  ?  " 

"  No.     Who's  he." 

"The  Marquis  of  Mauricodle,  the  Duke  of 
Newborough's  son.     I  like  him  pretty  well." 

"  Do  you  know  a  fellow  called  Hunter  Gor- 
don ?  "  asked  Charlie,  after  a  little  pause,  for 
he  was  quite  dazzled  by  this  grand  name. 

"  Well,  I  think  I  have  some  recollection  of 


20  OUDENDALE: 

a  fellow  of  that  name,  but  I  shouldn't  advise 
you  to  have  much  to  do  with  him.  He's  among 
a  low  set." 

Charlie  was  quite  astonished  to  hear  this ;  for 
Gordon  had  always  been  thought  a  very  nice 
fellow  at  the  Bath  Academy ;  and  he  was  also 
very  much  astonished  at  Master  Granville 
Browne's  grand  airs  and  drawl. 

"  What  sort  of  fellows  are  the  masters  ?  "  he 
asked,  after  another  pause. 

"  Oh,  a  set  of  fools.  There's  hardly  a  jolly 
fellow  among  them." 

"  Is  Mr.  Campion  not  a  nice  fellow  ?  " 

"  Oh,  pretty  middling.  He  belongs  to  a  very 
good  family,  I  believe,  and  he  certainly  looks 
rather  like  a  gentleman,"  said  Browne,  sagely  ; 
"  but  then,  he's  a  regular  fool.  Why  do  you  ask  ? 
Do  you  know  him  ?  " 

"  He  is  my  cousin." 

"  Cousin,  is  he  !  I  didn't  think  of  that.  I 
only  could  say  what  I  thought,  you  know,"  said 
Browne,  in  some  confusion. 

"  All  right,"  said  Charlie,  laughing.  "  I 
scarcely  ever  saw  him,  and  I  don't  suppose  that 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  21 

he  must  be  a  nice  fellow  because  he's  my  cou- 
sm." 

At  this  moment  the  two  gentlemen  ceased 
their  conversation,  and  Mr.  Pi-imrose  solemnly 
asked  Browne  if  he  had  enjoyed  his  holidays. 

"  Oh  —  well  —  I  can't  say  that  I  have.  I 
was  rather  dull.  In  fact,  the  only  thing  I  en- 
joyed at  all  was  a  visit  to  my  fiiend  Mauricodle 
at  Westlands  House  —  perhaps  you  know  his 
father,  the  Duke  of  Newborough  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  say  that  I  do,"  said  Mr.  Primrose. 

"  Ah,  indeed.  Well,  he's  a  very  nice  sort  of 
fellow." 

''  Dear  me  !  when  we  were  boys,  I  know  we 
never  failed  to  enjoy  our  holidays,"  remarked 
Mr.  Browne,  who  seemed  to  be  a  very  different 
sort  of  person  from  his  son.  "  How  my  brother 
and  I  used  to  scamper  over  Woodbury  Common 
on  our  ponies,  and  what  baskets  of  fish  we  used 
to  bring  home  sometimes  1  If  it  was  a  fine  day, 
my  motlier  generally  turned  us  out  of  the  house 
after  breakfast,  and  we  would  find  our  way 
back  again  to  dinner  with  tremendous  appetites, 
and  clothes  and  hands  very  often  in  a  state  of 


22  OUDENDALE: 

general  tatters  and  mud.  I  sometimes  wish  for 
these  days  again,  but  we  can't  become  boys  at 
my  time  of  life.  Dear  me  !  there  are  no  boys 
now ;  they  are  all  '  young  gentlemen.'  But 
here  we  are  at  Swindon  Junction,  where  we 
must  change  carriages  now,  Granville." 

Mr.  Browne  and  his  son  now  got  out,  and 
took  leave  of  them  —  Granville  Browne  shaking 
hands  with  Charlie  in  a  most  condescending 
manner. 

"  When  you  come  to  Oudendale,  I  will  intro- 
duce you  to  Mauricodle  and  some  other  nice 
fellows." 

Then  he  swaggered  off,  leaving  Charlie  quite 
impressed  by  his  airs  and  his  intimacy  with  a 
real  marquis,  but,  nevertheless,  thinking  that 
he  would  rather  be  the  companion  of  Hunter 
Gordon  than  of  Granville  Brown  and  his  grand 
friends. 

When  they  had  passed  a  few  more  stations, 
Mr.  Primrose  pointed  out  to  Charlie  his  house, 
nearly  hid  by  trees.  The  place  was  called 
Primrose  Hill.  They  got  out  at  the  next  sta- 
tion, where  the  train  stopped.     Mr.  Primrose's 


I 

A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  23 

carriage  was  waiting  for  them,  and  they  were 
soon  whirling  along  the  road.  On  the  way,  Mr. 
Primrose  having  composed  what  he  considered 
a  very  affectionate  speech,  informed  Charlie 
that  he  must  look  on  Primrose  Hill  as  his 
home  now,  and  that  though  he  knew  he  never 
could  quite  supply  a  mother's  care,  he  hoped 
Charlie  would  find  him  a  kind  and  faithful 
guardian.  The  tears  welled  up  to  Charlie's 
eyes  at  the  allusion  to  his  mother  ;  but  though 
his  uncle  spoke  in  his  usual  constrained  man- 
ner, he  could  not  but  feel  that  he  really  meant 
to  be  kind  to  him,  and  resolved  to  try  and  be  as 
happy  as  possible  at  Primrose  Hill.  He  won- 
dered very  much  what  sort  of  people  his  aunt 
and  cousins  were,  for  till  quite  lately  they  had 
always  lived  on  the  continent,  and  he  had  never 
seen  them.  There  were  three  girls  and  two 
boys,  he  knew,  and  he  hoped  the  boys  would  be 
big  enough  to  play  with  him. 

But  now  the  carriage  drove  up  an  avenue, 
and  the  house  was  before  them.  It  was  by  this 
time  almost  dark,  and  Charlie  could  not  see 
what  sort  of  a  house  it  was,  but  he  saw  that 


24  OUDENDALE: 

there  was  a  large  lawn  before  it,  and  wondered 
if  his  cousins  played  at  games  there. 

A  very  large  and  majestic-looking  footman, 
who  quite  struck  Charlie  with  awe,  opened  the 
door,  and  ushered  them  into  a  large  hall,  but 
no  smiling  aimt  nor  rosy-cheeked  cousin  came 
running  out  to  meet  them,  as  Charlie  had  ex- 
pected. 

"  Show  Mr.  Campion  up  to  his  room,  Robert, 
and  take  up  his  things.  We  shall  have  dinner 
in  a  short  time,  Charlie.  I  suppose  you  will 
not  take  long  to  dress  ?  " 

The  footman  led  the  way  to  a  large,  well- 
furnished  bedroom,  with  an  enormous  four-post 
bed  in  it,  pier  glasses,  a  writing-desk,  a  dressing- 
table,  and  other  luxuries,  to  which  Chai-lie  in 
his  little  bedroom  and  iron  bedstead  at  home 
had  hitherto  been  a  stranger.  A  fire  was  burn- 
ing in  the  grate,  and  everything  was  very  lux- 
urious and  elegant  —  rather  too  much  so  indeed 
for  Charlie,  who  did  not  feel  at  home  among  it 
all.  The  majestic  footman  brought  up  his  trunk 
and  carpet-bag,  and  then  having  solemnly  ar- 
ranged the  towels,  and  poked  the  fire,  withdrew. 


A   TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  25 

leaving  Charlie  to  wonder  what  he  had  to  do 
next.  When  he  had  dined  with  his  mother  in 
Bath,  at  four  o'clock,  he  had  never  been  in  the 
habit  of  making  any  change  in  his  personal  ap- 
pearance, but  wasliing  his  hands  and  a  hasty 
brushing  of  his  hair  (sometimes  it  was  a  very 
hasty  brushing)  ;  but  he  knew  that  gentlemen 
dressed  in  black  for  dinner,  and  supposed  that 
was  what  his  uncle  meant  when  he  talked  about 
"  dressing."  However,  he  was  dressed  in  black 
already ;  so  he  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  put  on 
a  clean  shirt,  and  give  his  hands  and  face  a 
wash.  While  he  was  doing  this,  the  majestic 
footman  dgain  axTived,  with  a  jug  of  hot  water, 
and  Charlie  was  quite  ashamed  of  himself  for 
having  washed  with  cold  water.  He  was  quite 
afraid  of  this  footman,  who  was  so  majestically 
and  solemnly  respectful,  but  who  he  thought 
must  see  that  he  was  quite  unused  to  such  po- 
lite society.  When  he  had  completed  his  toilet, 
he  began  to  survey  his  new  apartment,  the 
magnificence  of  which  made  him  quite  uncom' 
fortable,  and  to  wonder  where  he  ought  to  go  to 
next.     But  his  doubts  on  this  subject  were  sqqu 


26  OUDENDALE: 

resolved  by  the  appearance  once  more  of  the 
tall  footman,  who  announced  that  dinner  was 
waiting,  and  led  the  way  to  a  large  dining-room, 
where  Mr.  Primrose  was  already  seated  at  table, 
and  also  his  aunt,  a  delicate-looking  woman, 
just  as  cold  and  precise  as  his  uncle.  She  re- 
ceived him  in  a  manner  which  she  meant  to 
be  very  gracious,  but  which  Charlie  thought 
very  formal,  and  then  the  dinner  began.  Char- 
lie was  very  hungry,  and  if  a  round  of  cold  roast 
beef  had  been  set  before  him  then,  he  would 
have  done  ample  execution  upon  it ;  but  now  he 
felt  quite  afraid  to  eat  before  his  precise  uncle 
and  aunt,  and  besides  did  not  mucli  like  most 
of  the  highly-seasoned  dishes  which  were  handed 
round  by  the  majestic  footman  ;  so  that  he  did 
not  make  such  a  good  dinner  as  he  could  have 
desired. 

There  was  very  little  conversation  during 
dinner,  and  immediately  afterwards  Mrs.  Prim- 
rose took  him  up  stairs  to  the  drawing-room,  to 
introduce  him  to  his  cousins  —  the  girls  at  least, 
for  the  boys  had  gone  to  bed,  she  said.  He 
found  them  all  sitting  upon  a  sofa  in  a  row,  very 


A  TALE  OF   SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  27 

prim  and  polite-looking,  with  low-necked  muslin 
dresses  and  large  bows  of  ribbon.  Near  them 
sat  their  governess,  a  tall,  learned-looking  lady, 
if  anything  more  formal-looking  than  his  annt ; 
and  indeed  Charlie  found  her  out  afterwards  to 
be  a  complete  walking  handbook  of  etiquette. 
The  three  girls,  Maria,  Anne,  and  Florence  held 
out  their  hands  to  him,  and  said,  "  I  hope  you 
are  quite  well.  Cousin  Charlie,"  and  tlio  gov- 
erness made  him  a  most  magnificent  bow.  Then 
ensued  a  terrible  silence,  and  Charlie  sat  fidget- 
ting  about  in  his  chair,  not  daring  to  speak  or 
move,  for  fear  of  doing  something  which  would 
offend  his  aunt's  politeness.  At  length,  on  a 
sign  from  Mrs.  Primrose,  Maria  asked  Charlie 
to  look  at  a  book  of  drawings,  and  in  a  little 
they  all  got  on  pretty  well  together,  though  tlio 
girls  were,  in  their  own  way,  almost  as  stiff  as 
their  papa  and  mamma.  Mr.  Primrose  joined 
them  very  soon,  and  then  came  tea.  Charlie 
thought  that  now  he  would  be  able  to  make  u]) 
for  his  deficiency  at  dinner  ;  but  there  was  noth- 
ing to  eat  but  some  very  thin  slices  of  bread 
and  butter,  and  he  did  not  think  it  would  look 


28  OUDENDALE: 

well  to  eat  too  many  of  these.  It  was  now 
nearly  ten  o'clock,  and  his  cousins  rising  to  go 
off  to  bed,  Charlie  was  very  glad  to  go  also.  Ho 
said  good-night,  and  was  conducted  to  his  room 
by  the  majestic  footman,  without  whose  assist- 
ance he  could  never  have  found  it. 

"When  the  footman  had  left  him,  after  an- 
nouncing that  the  breakfast  was  at  half-past 
nine,  Charlie  drew  in  the  great  cushioned 
arm-chair  close  to  the  blazing  fire,  and  began 
to  think.  He  thought  that  he  should  like  his 
uncle  and  aunt  and  cousins  very  well,  but 
he  wished  that  they  were  a  little  less  genteel 
and  polite.  One  thing  he  noticed,  —  that,  imlike 
his  mamma,  they  had  no  prayers  in  the  evening. 
He  resolved  that  he  should  never  forget  to  say 
his  prayers  ;  for  he  knew  that  his  mamma  would 
not  have  liked  him  to  do  so.  Charlie  had  been 
tang'ht  the  truth,  and  was  not  altogether  thought- 
less on  the  subject  of  religion  ;  but,  alas  !  his 
heart  was  still  unchanged,  and  if  he  ever  re- 
membered his  duty  to  God,  it  was  only  from 
a  desire  to  please  his  mamma  —  not  from  any 
higher    motive.      That    night,  and    often,  ho 


A  TALE  OF   SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  29 

prayed  that  he  might  become  good,  like  mamma  ; 
for  he  had  a  vague  and  indefinite  idea  of  being 
*'  good  ;  "  but  as  yet  he  knew  not  the  Way  —  the 
Fountain  where  he  might  cleanse  himself  from 
the  stain  and  the  power  of  sin.  As  usual,  think- 
ing about  his  dear  mamma  made  him  melan- 
choly, and  when  he  lay  down  in  the  great  four- 
post  feather  bed,  he  could  not  help  crying ; 
everything  was  so  new  and  strange,  and  there 
was  no  one  to  love  him.  Poor  boy  !  he  felt  very 
lonely  in  the  midst  of  strangers,  and  he  did  not 
know  that  there  was  one  Friend  near  only  wait- 
ing to  be  called,  far  above  all  others,  who  could 
and  would  fill  his  heart  with  a  more  than  earthly 
love.  He  could  not  yet  throw  himself  into  the 
arms  of  his  God,  confessing  that  infinite  love 
and  infinite  wisdom  had  done  all  for  the  best, 
and  saying,  in  the  language  of  the  poet  — 

"If  Thou sliouldst  call  me  to  resign 
What  most  I  prized  (it  ne'er  was  mine), 
I  only  yield  thee  what  was  thine  : 
Thy  will  be  done. 
"  If  but  my  fainting  heart  be  blessed 
"With  thy  sweet  Spirit  for  its  guest, 
My  God,  to  thee  I  leave  the  rest: 
Thy  will  be  done." 


CHAPTER  HI. 

A  NEW  HOME. 

Faultily  faultless,  icily  regular. 


Texntson. 


Charlie  awoke  next  morning,  and  found  the 
sun  shilling  in  his  face  through  the  white  muslin 
blinds  and  rose-colored  curtains.  He  jumped 
up  at  once  and  began  to  wash  himself,  though 
he  had  some  suspicions  that  he  was  expected 
to  wait  till  Robert  arrived  with  a  jug  of  hot 
water. 

But  when  he  was  quite  dressed,  he  did  not 
know  what  to  do  next.  He  wished  to  go  out 
and  look  about  the  house  ;  but  then  he  did  not 
know  the  way  to  the  front  door,  and  besides 
thought  that  it  perhaps  was  not  polite  to  go  out 
before  breakfast.  No  one  appeared  to  be  mov- 
ing in  the  house.  So  for  some  time  he  had  to 
content  himself  by  looking  out  of  his  window, 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  31 

from  which  he  could  only  see  the  avenue  and 
the  lawn. 

Presently,  however,  he  heard  some  one  mov- 
ing in  the  passage,  and,  opening  the  door,  saw 
a  maid-servant,  who  directed  him  to  the  front 
door,  and  he  found  himself  out  in  the  fresh 
morning  air  ;  and  with  something  of  his  former 
light-heartedness,  ran  off  on  a  tour  of  inspection 
all  round  the  house.  It  was  a  fine,  stately 
building,  with  numbers  of  splendid  old  horse- 
chesnut  and  willow  trees  round  about  it,  some 
of  which  Charlie  felt  a  strong  inclination  to 
climb,  but  was  afraid  lest  he  should  spoil  his 
new  black  clothes.  Then  he  went  down  the 
avenue,  and  took  a  stroll  among  the  fields, 
where  he  watched  some  reapers  at  their  work. 
Presently  the  reapers  left  off  to  take  their 
breakfast,  and  this  reminded  him  that  he  must 
not  be  late  for  his  ;  and  so  he  turned  back  and 
went  towards  the  house,  whistling  gayly  as  he 
went ;  for  the  sunny  morning,  the  blue  sky,  the 
pleasant  breeze,  and  the  dewy  grass  had  made 
him  quite  forget  all  his  unhappincss  of  the  night 
before. 


32  OUDENDALE: 

Just  as  he  arrived  in  front  of  the  house,  he 
came  upon  two  little  boys,  about  nine  and  eight 
years  old,  who  were  walking  very  demurely 
along  the  gravel  walk. 

"  I  suppose  you  are  my  cousins,"  said  Charlie, 
stopping  and  holding  out  his  hand.  The 
younger  boy  took  it  with  a  shy  smile,  and  said 
nothing;  but  the  elder  addressed  him  very 
volubly  in  French. 

"  Oui.     Je  suis  Henri.   Celui-ciest  Augustey 

Charlie  was  rather  astonished  at  this  speech, 
which  indeed  he  scarcely  understood,  for  his 
acquaintance  with  the  French  language  went 
no  further  than  certain  nouns  and  verbs  which 
had  been  laboriously  drummed  into  him  at  the 
Bath  Academy.  However,  he  wanted  to  make 
friends  with  his  cousins,  and  so  said,  with  a 
pleasant  smile :  "  Come  on  and  let  us  have  a 
race  across  the  lawn  to  that  big  tree  there.  I'll 
give  you  both  a  start." 

"  Non  merci^^  said  Henry,  in  a  very  formal  and 
polite  manner.  "  Nous  ne  sommes  pas  pe7*mis 
(Taller "  —  "  We're  not  allowed  to  go  on  the 
grass  ;  that  is  what  he  means,"  interrupted  Au- 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  33 

giistus,  the  younger  of  the  two,  who  was  a 
merry-looking,  rosy-cheeked  boy,  apparently 
quite  different  from  all  the  rest  of  his  brothers 
and  sisters. 

"  Eh!  mon garcon P'^  shouted  the  governess, 
who  was  coming  up  behind  them  and  heard  this. 
"  Francais,  franc ccis,  sHl  vous  plait ^  Auguste  !  " 

"  Voila  Mademoiselle  Woodville,  qui  vous 
bldme  jjour  parlant  anglais ^^^  remarked  Henry, 
turning  to  his  younger  brother. 

Charlie  was  greatly  puzzled  at  all  this,  and 
stood  looking  at  his  cousins  in  real  astonish- 
ment, wondering  why  they  did  not  speak  Eng- 
lish.    But  now  Miss  Woodville  came  up. 

"  Bon  jour^  llonsieur  Charles ^''^  said  she. 
*•  Ces  enfants  sont  defendus  de  parler  anglais 
avant  le  diner.     Ne  parlez  pas  vous  francais  ?  " 

"I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Charlie,  blushing. 

"  Do  you  not  know  French  ?  " 

^^  No  —  not  much  —  that  is,  hardly  any.  I 
have  begun  to  learn,"  stammered  he. 

"  That  is  a  great  pity,"  said  Miss  Woodville, 
in  English.  "  The  cliildren  are  not  allowed  to 
speak  anything  else  till  dinner-time." 


34  OUDENDALE: 

Charlie  began  to  be  still  more  afraid  of  the 
terrible  gentility  of  his  uncle's  family,  and  to 
wonder  what  tv^ouM  be  the  next  proof  of  it 
which  he  should  meet  with ;  but  just  then  a 
gong  sounded,  which  he  supposed  to  be  the 
signal  for  breakfast ;  and  so  he  turned  to  Miss 
Woodville  and  asked  if  she  was  going  in.  "  We 
have  had  our  breakfast  already,"  said  she.  "  I 
believe  you  are  to  breakfast  with  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Primrose.  The  breakfast-room  is  just  to  your 
right  as  you  enter  the  hall." 

Charlie  thanked  her,  and  was  bounding  off, 
when  she  cried  — 

"  Wait  one  instant,  if  you  please.  Excuse 
me  for  remarking  it,  Master  Campion,  but  you 
should  not  take  leave  of  a  lady  in  that  abrupt 
manner.  I  see  I  shall  have  to  be  your  instruc- 
tor in  some  points  of  etiquette.  See  —  incline 
your  head  gently,  and  turn  gracefully  round  — 
so.     That  is  right.     Allans  nous,  mes  chers.^^ 

Charlie  did  as  she  desired  in  some  confusion, 
and  then  went  off  to  the  breakfast-room  with  a 
terrible  suspicion  on  his  mind  that  he  was  des- 
tined to  be  before  long  as  great  a  slave  to  the 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  35 

monster  etiquette  as  any  of  his  cousins  were. 
He  easily  found  the  breakfast-room,  and  mot 
with  a  kind,  though  formal  as  ever,  salutation 
from  his  uncle  and  aunt.  Then  they  began 
breakfast,  and  Charlie,  who  was  hungry  enough, 
made  a  meal  which  quite  astonished  his  delicate 
aunt,  who,  however,  was  pleased  to  see  him 
have  such  a  good  appetite. 

After  breakfast  the  servants  were  called  up, 
and  his  cousins  came  with  Miss  Woodville,  and 
Mr.  Primrose  read  one  or  two  short  prayers  out 
of  the  Prayer-book,  which  Charlie  couldn't  help 
thinking  did  not  sound  like  prayers,  the  way 
his  uncle  read  them. 

When  this  short  ceremony  was  ended,  Mr. 
Primrose  went  to  write  some  letters,  and  the 
girls  and  boys  were  driven  off,  like  a  flock  of 
sheep,  by  Miss  Woodville,  to  their  lessons. 
They  were  all  obliged  to  speak  French  in  the 
forenoon ;  so  Charlie  had  no  conversation  with 
any  of  them,  except  "  Bon  jour.''^  Mrs.  Prim- 
rose asked  him  if  he  cared  for  reading ;  and 
when  he  said  that  he  did,  she  led  him  to  the 
library,  where  he  found  a  nice  book  which  gave 


36  OUDEND-ALE: 

him  occupation  till  twelve  o'clock,  when  his 
uncle  came  and  took  him  out  for  a  walk  in  the 
neighborhood. 

At  two  the  children's  dinner  was  served, 
which  Charlie  found  was  understood  to  be  his 
lunch,  as  he  was  elevated  to  the  dignity  of 
dining  with  his  uncle  and  aunt.  There  was 
more  conversation  among  the  cousins  now,  as 
they  were  allowed  to  talk  English,  except  when 
asking  for  anything,  which  had  to  be  done  in 
French ;  so  they  were  rather  more  sociable. 
But  Charlie  was  always  oppressed  by  a  vague 
dread  that  he  was  doing  something  which  Miss 
Woodville  would  condemn  as  contrary  to  eti- 
quette ;  the  more  so  as  he  saw  with  what  severity 
she  visited  such  offences  on  her  pupils. 

"  Maria,  Maria,"  she  would  cry,  in  a  tone  of 
agony,  "  My  dear  child,  just  look  how  you  are 
holding  your  fork.  You  would  be  taken  for  I 
can't  tell  what  if  yovi  were  to  hold  your  fork  in 
that  way  in  good  society.  Put  your  finger  — 
so.  That  will  do.  Now,  you  shall  be  severely 
punished  if  I  see  you  holding  your  fork  so 
again." 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  3) 

The  next  moment  it  would  be  —  "  Augustus, 
you  must  not  take  such  large  mouthfuls,  or  I 
shall  have  to  send  you  at  once  up  to  the  nursery. 
Really  it  is  very  sad  to  see  your  want  of  good 
manners,  in  spite  Of  all  my  exertions  to  teach 
you.     Henry  !     Sit  iipright  in  your  chair." 

Charlie  rather  pitied  his  cousins,  so  vigorously 
did  Miss  Woodville  scold  them  all  dinner-time  ; 
and  he  wondered  what  she  said  when  they  did 
anything  really  bad,  such  as  not  telling  the 
truth,  or  not  learning  their  lessons,  if  she  was 
so  severe  upon  trifling  transgressions  against 
that  terrible  thing  etiquette.  Once  or  twice  she 
looked  critically  at  his  fork,  or  spoon,  and  his 
heart  sunk  within  him,  but  she  made  no  remark, 
and  Charlie  breathed  freely  again. 

After  dinner  Charlie  went  out  for  a  walk  with 
his  cousins.  They  were  all  dressed  very  ele- 
gantly, and  walked  along  the  road  very  properly 
and  quietly,  not  daring  to  run,  nor  to  climb  a 
bank  after  wild  flowers,  for  Miss  Woodville  was 
with  them  to  remind  them  of  the  laws  of  eti- 
quette. However,  they  became  very  confiden- 
tial ;  and  Charlie  actually  Bticceeded  in  making 


38  OUDENDALE: 

the  girls  give  a  faint  giggle,  by  telling  tliom  an 
amusing  story.  This  was  the  first  time  he  had 
ever  seen  anything  like  a  laugh  or  a  smile  at 
Primrose  Hill.  Then  he  climbed  up  a  tree,  to 
the  horror  of  Miss  Woodville  and  the  astonish- 
ment of  the  boys.  Augustus  wanted  to  try  and 
follow  his  example,  but  this  Miss  Woodville 
would  by  no  means  permit.  Indeed,  as  they 
went  on,  Charlie  began  to  get  quite  frisky,  and 
to  let  out  his  spirits,  which  had  been  restrained 
all  the  morning.  He  jumped,  and  climbed,  and 
ran  about,  in  a  style  which  made  his  well-be- 
haved cousins  stare,  and  look  round  dubiously 
at  Miss  Woodville,  as  if  to  see  whether  she  con- 
sidered these  proceedings  to  be  according  to 
etiquette. 

On  their  way  home  they  met  Mr.  Primrose, 
and  he  delighted  Charlie  by  informing  him  that 
he  was  to  have  a  pony  to  ride  on  every  day  in 
future.  When  they  reached  the  house,  the 
young  people  were  allowed  to  go  and  play  bag- 
atelle together.  Then  at  seven  Charlie  had  to 
go  and  dine  in  state  with  his  uncle  and  aunt 
and  the  majestic  footman,  who  always  seemed 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  39 

to  be  looking  straight  at  liim,  and  silently  re- 
buking him  in  a  solemn,  respectful  manner  for 
doing  something  that  was  not  according  to 
etiquette.  This  at  length  over,  Charlie  went 
with  his  aunt  to  the  drawing-room,  where  he 
sat,  almost  afraid  to  move,  for  fear  of  breaking 
some  of  the  beautiful  vases  and  other  ornaments 
with  which  the  room  was  filled.  Then  tea  and 
thin  slices  of  bread  and  butter,  and  at  last  bed- 
time, and  the  great  four-post  feather  bed  once 
more,  which  Charlie  felt  very  glad  to  get  to. 

Thus  passed  the  first  day  at  Primrose  Hill, 
and  many  other  following  days  passed  in  very 
much  the  same  way.  Charlie  generally  spent 
the  forenoon  in  riding  about  on  his  pony,  and 
the  afternoon  walking  with  his  cousins,  and 
learning  French  and  etiquette  from  Miss  Wood- 
ville.  He  always  had  a  groom  to  ride  behind 
him  when  he  went  out  on  his  pony.  Charlie 
himself  would  gladly  have  dispensed  with  this 
mark  of  dignity,  but  Mrs.  Primrose  insisted  on 
it,  for  she  was  very  much  afraid  of  his  getting 
hurt,  and  indeed  was  with  difficulty  persuaded 
not  to  make  him  promise  that  he  would  never 


40  OUDENDALE: 

go  faster  than  a  slow  trot,  which  promise  Charlie 
would  certainly  have  kept  if  he  had  made  it ; 
but,  fortunately  for  him,  his  uncle  interfered, 
assuring  his  aunt  that  the  pony  was  very  well 
behaved,  and  that  there  was  no  danger. 

Charlie  and  his  cousins  soon  became  great 
friends.  He  liked  Augustus  best,  though  Au- 
gustus was  the  worst  behaved  of  them  all, 
according  to  Miss  Woodville.  He  was  always 
upsetting  something,  or  getting  himself  hurt, 
or  doing  something  else  which  was  not  etiquette  ; 
but  then  he  was  more  like  a  boy,  and  less  like 
a  speaking-machine,  than  the  rest  of  the  family. 
Henry  he  did  not  like  at  all,  for  he  was  what 
Charlie  had  been  accustomed  at  the  Bath  Acad- 
emy to  call  a  "  sneak."  He  was  always  running 
to  tell  Miss  Woodville  about  any  little  miscon- 
duct of  his  brothers  and  sisters,  a  practice  which 
she  very  foolishly  encouraged  ;  and  then  he 
seldom  did  anything  naughty  himself — except 
when  there  was  not  ihe  remotest  chance  of  his 
being  found  out.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Primrose  too 
did  all  they  could  think  of  to  make  him  happy 
at  his   new  home,  and   Charlie   couldn't  help 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  41 

seeing  that  they  were  anxious  to  be  kind  to  him, 
and  hked  them. 

And  they  all  liked  him  too.  Even  Miss 
Woodville  acknowledged  that  he  would  be  a 
very  nice  boy  if  he  only  knew  a  little  more 
etiquette.  His  cousins,  who  were  at  first  aston- 
ished by  his  open,  merry,  boyish  manners,  were 
soon  quite  delighted  with  him ;  and  Augustus 
especially  was  only  happy  when  he  was  with 
his  new  cousin,  who  was  sometimes  allowed, 
when  it  was  a  very  fine  day,  and  there  was  no 
chance  of  their  wetting  their  feet,  to  take  them 
oiit  into  the  park,  and  run  races  and  play  with 
them.  These  sports  greatly  delighted  Augus- 
tus ;  but  Henry,  whenever  he  got  a  tumble  or 
any  slight  hurt,  would  run  off  in  a  state  of 
tears  and  loud  lamentations  to  Miss  Woodville. 

But  though  they  were  all  very  kind,  they  were 
terribly  stiff  and  formal  and  restrained.  Char- 
lie never  felt  quite  comfortable  in  his  new  home, 
but  was  forever  afraid  of  offending  etiquette 
and  the  majestic  footman,  who  was  always 
wanting  to  do  everything  for  him  which  he 
would  much  rather  have  done  for  himself.     He 


42  OUDENDALE: 

longed  for  a  more  natural,  and  less  artificial 
life,  for  the  society  of  boys  of  his  own  age,  and 
above  all,  for  some  one  to  love  ;  not  only  to  like^ 
but  to  love.  And,  therefore,  he  was  not  very 
sorry  when  liis  uncle  wrote  to  the  head  master 
of  Oudendale  College  about  him,  and  received 
an  answer  that  he  could  be  entered  immediately. 
Then  came  a  great  buying  of  new  clothes  and 
other  necessaries  by  Mrs.  Primrose,  and  a  gi^eat 
packing  up  and  preparation  ;  and  in  due  time 
Charlie  set  off  for  Oudendale  with  his  uncle,  to 
the  great  sorrow  of  all  his  cousins,  especially 
Augustus. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

OUDENDALE  COLLEGE. 

"  A  public  hive  of  puerile  resort."  —  Cowper. 

OuDENDALE  COLLEGE  is  oiie  of  the  youngest  of 
our  English  public  schools,  being  only  some 
thirty  years  old ;  but  nevertheless  it  is  not  by 
any  means  one  of  the  least  useful  or  prosperous. 
Its  very  youth  is  in  one  way  an  advantage  to  it, 
as  it  is  untrammelled  by  any  of  the  ridiculous 
customs  and  traditions  of  older  schools,  from 
the  discipline  and  customs  of  which  its  man- 
agers have  been  able  to  choose  what  is  good 
and  reject  what  is  bad,  at  their  own  discretion. 

Passing  through  the  High  Street  of  the  little 
town  of  Oudendale,  and  going  about  half  a  mile 
along  the  turnpike-road,  you  come  to  the  large 
iron  gates  through  which  you  enter  the  grav- 
elled quadrangle  of  the  college.  At  the  right 
of  the  gates  is  the  chapel,  and  on  the  left  the 


44  OUDENDALE: 

porter's  lodge  and  racket  courts.  Up  the  sides 
of  tlie  quadrangle,  which  is  of  an  oblong  shape, 
are  the  various  schoolrooms  and  studies,  and 
the  boys'  sleeping-rooms  ;  and  at  the  other  end, 
facing  the  gates,  is  the  hall,  where  the  boys 
take  their  meals,  and  meet  for  prayers  in  the 
evening,  or  on  any  other  occasion  when  the 
head  master  wishes  to  address  the  whole  school. 
In  a  garden  behind  the  college,  and  communi- 
cating with  the  hall,  is  the  house  of  the  head 
master,  or,  as  he  is  generally  called,  "  The 
Master";  the  other  teachers  being  known  col- 
lectively as  "  the  Masters,"  and  individually  as 
"  one  of  the  Masters."  On  the  whole,  Ouden- 
dale  College  was  a  fine  building,  though  it  hst3. 
not  the  air  of  antiquity  which  gives  such  a 
charm  to  some  of  our  more  ancient  schools. 
From  the  Master's  house  to  the  great  iron  gates, 
everything  about  it  looked  new,  and  the  place 
might  just  as  soon  have  been  taken  for  a  hospi- 
tal as  for  a  school,  so  little  of  the  real  scholastic 
appearance  of  antiqiiity,  of  birch,  Latin  gram- 
mar, and  Greek  verbs  had  it ;  on  which  account 
Oudendale  is  rather  looked  down  on  by  the 
young  gentlemen  of  Eton  and  Harrow. 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  45 

It  was  under  these  gates  that  Charhe  and  his 
uncle  found  themselves  one  evening.  Charlie 
was  quite  sure  that  he  should  like  school  very 
much  ;  but,  nevertheless,  his  lieart  sank  within 
him  as  Mr.  Primrose  pulled  the  great  bell, 
which  made  a  very  loud  noise,  and  rung  for  a 
very  long  time,  as  if  to  call  all  the  college  out 
to  see  the  new  boy. 

A  porter  with  very  bright  red  hair  answered 
the  summons,  and,  having  taken  a  good  look 
at  Charlie,  led  the  way  across  the  quadrangle 
to  the  Master's  house. 

On  their  way  through  the  quadrangle  two  or 
three  groups  of  boys,  who  were  lounging  about 
it,  cast  looks  of  curiosity  at  Charlie  ;  but  he  took 
very  little  notice  of  them,  for  his  thoughts  were 
all  occupied  in  picturing  his  interview  with  the 
great  Master  of  Oudendale. 

"  I  wonder  what  like  Dr,  Eden  is  ?  "  he  re- 
marked to  his  uncle. 

"  I  have  always  understood  that  he  is  a  most 
accomplished  scholar,  and  a  most  excellent 
teacher,"  said  Mr.  Primrose. 

But  now  they  passed  out  of  the  quadrangle, 


46  OUDENDALE: 

and  crossing  a  garden,  stood  at  the  door  of  Dr. 
Eden's  house.  Here  the  porter  handed  them 
over  to  the  doctor's  own  servant,  who  con- 
ducted them  to  his  study. 

Dr.  Eden  was  a  man  such  as  you  do  not  see 
every  day.  Tall  and  noble-looking,  with  a  high 
forehead,  and  bright,  thoughtful  eyes,  which 
spoke  of  an  intelligent  and  cultivated  mind,  no 
less  than  his  frank,  kindly  smile,  proclaimed  a 
loving  and  open  heart :  he  seemed  particularly 
suited  to  the  office  of  guiding  and  governing 
the  young,  in  w^iich  both  affection  and  severity 
must  be  judiciously  employed.  Nor  was  his 
noble  character  lost  upon  his  pupils,  for  he  was 
beloved  and  respected  by  nearly  all ;  and  even 
those  few  who  had  neither  love  nor  respect  in 
their  natures,  could  not  help  feeling  ashamed 
before  him,  and  were  sometimes  even  cowed 
into  obedience  by  a  dread  of  his  kindness  as 
much  as  his  sternness. 

It  is  not  necessary  for  the  reader  to  know 
what  passed  between  Mr.  Primrose  and  Charlie 
and  Dr.  Eden  at  their  interview.  It  will  be 
enough  to  say  that,  like  every  one  else  who  saw 


A  TALE  OF   SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  47 

Dr.  Eden  for  the  first  time,  Charlie  could  not 
help  feeling  that  he  was  a  man  both  to  be  loved 
and  obeyed. 

As  Mr.  Primrose  was  going  back  by  the  night 
train,  he  soon  took  his  leave.  Charlie  accom- 
panied him  to  the  gate  of  Dr.  Eden's  garden, 
where  he  said  good-by.  His  uncle  told  him 
that  he  hoped  he  would  behave  himself  well  and 
not  get  punished,  which  Charlie  promised  most 
faithfully  that  he  would,  and  gave  him  five  sov- 
ereigns—  more  money  than  Charlie  had  eyer 
had,  at  one  time,  before. 

When  his  uncle  had  gone,  Charlie  returned, 
as  he  had  been  desired,  to  Dr.  Eden's  study, 
and  found  him  sitting  with  his  cousin,  Mr. 
Campion,  a  young  clergyman,  whom  we  have 
before  heard  of  as  l)oing  lately  appointed  a 
master  at  Oiidendale.  He  greeted  Charlie 
kindly,  and  then  they  began  to  examine  him  as 
to  his  attainments,  and  decided  that  he  should 
be  put  in  the  fourth  form. 

"  Do  you  know  any  boys  in  the  school  ?  " 
asked  the  Master. 

"  Yes,  sir.     I  know  Hunter  Gordon ;  and  I 


48  OUDENDALE : 

know  —  a  little  at  least  —  a  fellow  called  Gran- 
ville Browne." 

Dr.  Eden  looked  at  Mr.  Campion,  and  a  sign 
of  intelligence,  unobserved  by  Charlie,  passed 
between  them.  "  Gordon  is  a  warm-hearted, 
impetuous,  honest  boy,"  Mr.  Campion  after- 
wards said,  talking  the  matter  over  when  Char- 
lie had  left  them  ;  "  and  though  he  is  not  very 
hard-working,  he  will  do  him  no  harm.  As  for 
Browne,  he  is  scarcely  a  desirable  friend ;  but 
if  I  have  judged  my  cousin  rightly,  he  will  soon 
find  that  out  for  himself." 

''  .Well,  you  will  be  in  the  same  form  as  both 
these  boys  ;  and  you  shall  sleep  in  the  same 
room  as  Gordon,  so  you  will  not  be  altogether 
among  strangers  at  first.  I  think  that  room  is 
not  quite  full." 

"  No.  There  are  two  beds  vacant,"  said 
Mr.  Campion. 

But  now  a  great  bell  began  to  ring,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  Dr.  Eden  and  Mr.  Campion  rose, 
and  taking  Charlie  with  them,  passed  through 
a  private  door  into  the  hall,  where   the  boys 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  49 

and  the  other  masters  had  now  assembled  for 
evenmg  prayers. 

We  may  be  sure  Charlie  felt  very  uncom- 
fortable at  the  consciousness  that  three  hundred 
pairs  of  eyes  were  fixed  upon  him ;  for  it  is  a  sad 
fact  that  more  of  the  boys  were  occupied  in 
looking  at  the  new  comer  than  listening  to  the 
prayers.  Dr.  Eden  read  a  chapter,  and  then  a 
prayer  and  a  collect  from  the  evening  service, 
and  then  the  boys  began  to  troop  out  again, 
form  by  form,  to  Charlie's  great  relief. 

The  Master  beckoned  the  red-haired  porter, 
and  desired  him  to  put  Master  Campion's  lug- 
gage, which  had  been  sent  from  the  railway 
station,  in  room  No.  5  of  the  West  House,  and 
send  Hunter  Gordon  to  him. 

This  young  gentleman  soon  appeared.  Out 
of  deference  for  the  Master's  presence  he  did 
not  recognize  Charlie,  otherwise  than  by  a  look 
out  of  the  corners  of  his  eyes. 

"  I  believe  you  two  know  one  another,"    said 

Dr.  Eden.     "  Will  you  take  Campion  to  your 

room,  Gordon,  and  look  after  him  for  a  day  or 

two,  till  he  gets  used  to  our  ways  ?     I  hope  he 

4 


50  OUDENDALE: 

will  like  them  ;  "  then,  with  a  pleasant  smile, 
he  shook  hands  with  Charlie  and  bid  him  good- 
night, and  so  did  Mr.  Campion. 

"  He  seems  a  nice  boy,  your  cousin,"  said 
Dr.  Eden,  as  they  left  the  hall. 

"  Well,  I  have  not  seen  much  of  him.  In 
fact,  I  met  him  at  his  mother's  funeral  for  the 
first  time  about  a  fortnight  ago.  But  I  like 
the  expression  of  his  face.  I  do  hope  he  will 
get  good  —  real  good  —  at  Oudendale." 

"  Ay,  ay,"  said  Dr.  Eden.  "  I  understand 
you.  It  will  be  of  little  use  to  him,  if  he  gains 
all  the  learning  that  we  have  to  give,  and  loses 
what  is  infinitely  more  valuable  —  his  own  soul." 

"  I  feel  particularly  answerable  for  his  moral 
welfare,"  said  Mr.  Campion, ''  as  I  am  now  one 
of  his  nearest  living  relations.  His  mother  I 
know  was  a  most  excellent  Christian  woman, 
and  gave  him  a  good  religious  education,  but 
now  she  has  been  taken  away ;  and  from  what 
I  know  of  Primrose,  I  fear  he  is  not  the  man  to 
direct  the  boy's  attention  to  any  matters  above 
those  of  this  world  ;  though  I  do  not  doubt  that 
he  is  kind  and  well-meaning.     I  feel,  therefore. 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  51 

doubly  bound  to  watch  over  him.  0  Dr.  Eden, 
we  have  a  great  and  responsible  charge  1  "  ex- 
claimed the  young  clergyman,  ardently,  after  a 
moment's  pause. 

"  It  is,  indeed,"  said  Dr.  Eden,  musingly. 
"  Three  hundred  immortal  souls,  which  we  may 
have  the  power  of  influencing  either  for  good 
or  evil.  God  grant  that  we  may  feel  the  re- 
sponsibility of  our  charge,  and  through  his 
grace  fulfil  it  rightly." 

Mr.  Campion  sighed,  and  looked  thoughtful. 
"  I  desire  nothing  more  than  that  God  would 
give  me  strength  to  spend  all  my  life  in  this 
noble  work ;  but,  ah,  how  weak  I  sometimes 
feel !  Is  it  not  discouraging,  when  we  think  we 
have  almost  won  a  soul  to  walk  upon  the  straight 
and  narrow  way  of  life,  to  see  it  suddenly  slip, 
and  rush  once  more  headlong  on  the  broad  way 
of  death  ?  " 

"  We  should  not  be  too  easily  discouraged," 
said  Dr.  Eden  ;  "  though  I  can  well  sympathize 
with  you  in  such  a  case  as  you  have  mentioned. 
Even  though  we  see  no  immediate  reward  of 
our  labors,  it  is  our  duty  to  work  on,  hoping 


52  OUDENDALE: 

and  praying,  and  trusting  that  afterwards  our 
efforts  may  bear  fruit.  Many  a  lad,  who  may 
be  unimpressed  while  he  remains  among  us, 
may  remember  years  after  the  lessons  which  we 
have  striven  to  teach,  and  may  thus  be  enabled 
to  gain  a  new  heart.  God's  Word,  if  we  preach 
it  faithfully,  will  not  return  unto  him  void.  "We 
must  do  our  best  to  plant  and  water,  and  God, 
in  his  wisdom  and  love,  will  give  us  the  in- 
crease, as  seemeth  to  him  good." 

At  this  moment  one  of  the  other  masters 
came  up,  and  interrupted  this  conversation.  It 
will  be  seen  that  Mr.  Campion  felt  that  it  was 
his  duty  to  do  what  he  could  to  teach  divine  as 
well  as  human  wisdom ;  and  who  shall  say 
that  he  was  wrong  ?  Young,  ardent,  impulsive, 
with  high  and  lofty  views  of  purity  and  perfec- 
tion, —  rather  too  high  indeed  to  be  realized  in 
human  nature,  —  he  was  too  often  tempted  to 
despond,  and  would  then  fly  for  encouragement 
to  his  wiser  friend  and  senior,  who  had  learned 
by  experience  to  wait  and  trust  and  pray. 

But  we  must  see  what  Charlie  and  his  friend 
were  about.     The  boys  walked  very  soberly  out 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  53 

of  the  hall^  for  the  masters  had  not  yet  left  it ; 
but  when  they  passed  the  door,  and  stood  in 
the  cloistered  walk  which  ran  round  the  quad- 
rangle, Gordon  turned  to  Charlie,  and  slapped 
him  on  the  back,  crying,  — 

"  Hallo,  old  fellow  !  who  would  have  dreamed 
of  seeing  you  here  !     How  jolly !  " 

"  I  have  left  Bath,  and  gone  to  live  with  my 
uncle,  you  know." 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  said  Gordon,  hurriedly,  for 
he  had  heard  of  Mrs.  Campion's  death,  and 
with  instinctive  delicacy  felt  that  the  subject 
was  one  which  Charlie  would  not  like  to  dwell 
on.  "  But  come  along  to  our  room ;  I'm  so 
glad  you're  going  to  be  in  it.  Isn't  the  Master 
a  jolly  old  fellow  ?  We've  a  jolly  set  of  fellows 
in  No.  5.     I'm  sure  you'll  like  Oudendale." 

Rattling  on  in  this  manner,  Gordon  took 
Charlie's  arm,  and  dragged  rather  than  led 
him  along  the  cloisters  to  the  door  of  the  "  West 
House,"  as  one  of  the  blocks  of  sleeping-rooms 
was  called.  Then  he  led  the  way  up  two  pairs 
of  stairs,  and  ushered  Charlie  into  a  large  bed- 
room, where  four  or  five  boys  were  sitting  or 


54  OUDENDALE: 

lying  in  various  stages  of  preparation  for  bed. 
Some  were  curiously  inspecting  Charlie's  lug- 
gage, which  had  just  been  brought  up  to  the 
room. 

"  A  new  fellow  !  "  was  Gordon's  introduction, 
and  then  all  the  boys  looked  at  Charlie.  "  Here, 
Campion,  you  can  have  either  of  these  two  beds 
you  like.  I  would  advise  you  to  take  the  one 
nearest  the  wall ;  for  Henrys,  the  monitor,  can't 
very  well  shy  a  boot  at  you  there,  for  fear  of 
smashing  a  pane  of  glass." 

Charlie  took  this  prudent  advice  ;  and,  by 
the  assistance  of  Gordon,  put  his  trunk  at  the 
head  of  the  bed  pointed  out  to  him.  Then  he 
sat  down  on  the  bed,  and  began  to  chat  with 
Gordon  and  the  other  boys,  and  soon  they  were 
all  very  friendly  together. 

One  thing  Charlie  had  been  thinking  about. 
He  wondered  whether  the  boys  would  all  say 
their  prayers  before  going  to  bed ;  for,  at  all 
events,  he  had  resolved  to  do  it,  as  he  knew  his 
mother  would  have  wished  him  to  do.  But  his 
mind  was  soon  set  at  rest  on  this  point,  for 
presently  Henrys,   the    monitor,  entered,   and 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  55 

cried :  "  Now,  then,  say  your  prayers  there,  and 
don't  be  staying  up  all  night." 

At  this  the  boys,  Charlie  among  them,  knelt 
down  by  their  beds  and  said  their  prayers, 
though  the  ceremony  was,  in  most  cases,  rather 
short.  Charlie  found  that  there  were  but  few 
boys  in  the  school  who  did  not  say  their  prayers  ; 
how  many  really  prayed,  is  a  question  in  which 
he  was  not  at  that  time  interested. 

When  they  had  all  risen  from  their  knees, 
Henrys  said,  "  Now,  look  sharp,  and  tumble 
into  bed  ;  and  if  I  hear  any  row,  I'll  come 
and—" 

Henrys  did  not  say  what  he  would  do,  but  he 
shook  his  head,  as  if  the  threat  was  unspeakably 
terrible.  "  Where's  Clement  ?  "  he  asked,  look- 
ing round  the  room. 

"  He  went  away  to  speak  to  a  fellow.  He 
said  he  would  be  back  in  a  minute." 

"Well,  tell  him  he  had  better  not  let  me 
catch  him  shying  about  my  pillows  again. 
Hallo  !  is  that  a  new  fellow !  " 

And  taking  only  this  slight  notice  of  Charlie, 
the  great  man,  who  was  captain  of  the  room, 


56  OUDENDALE: 

went  off  to  his  study  ;  and  the  other  boys,  so  far 
from  obeying  his  orders  to  get  into  bed  imme- 
diately, gathered  together  in  the  middle  of  the 
room,  and  commenced  to  talk,  and  to  go  through 
gymnastic  performances  on  the  bedsteads. 

"  What  form  are  you  in  ?  "  asked  one  boy  of 
Charlie. 

"  The  fourth." 

"  Oh  !  then  you  will  have  Porbury  and  Cam- 
pion day  about,"  said  the  boy,  who  appeared  to 
have  no  great  reverence  for  his  instructors. 
"  Porbury  is  a  regular  old  fool,  and  you.  can  do 
whatever  you  like  with  him  ;  but  Campion  is 
the  fellow  to  jaw  you,  if  he  catches  you  up  to 
any  tricks.  He'll  give  you  a  sermon  an  hour- 
and-three-quarters  long.  By  the  by,  your  name's 
Campion,  didn't  you  say  ?  Has  he  anything  to 
do  with  you  ?  " 

"  He's  my  cousin,"  answered  Charlie. 

"  Cousin  !    I  hope  he  won't  favor  you,  then." 

"  Not  he.  Campion  wouldn't  do  such  a  low 
thing  for  the  world,"  said  Gordon. 

At  this  moment  a  tall,  handsome,  reckless- 
looking  boy  entered  the  room. 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  57 

"  Hallo,  Clem !  Henrys  has  just  been  looking 
for  you,  to  blow  you  up  for  shying  about  his 
pillows  last  night." 

"  Henrys  may  go  and  hang  himself,"  growled 
Clement.     "  Who's  this  ?  " 

"  A  new  fellow  —  Campion." 

"  Oh,  is  it  ?  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you,  Mr. 
Campion,"  said  Clement,  with  mock  politeness. 
"  I  hope  you  are  well,  sir.  How  did  you  leave 
your  dear  mamma  and  your  charming  sisters  ? 
I  know  your  mamma  exceedingly  well  —  hang 
you,  Gordon,  what  are  you  kicking  me  for  ?  " 

Charlie's  face  flushed,  and  the  tears  rose  to 
his  eyes  at  this  thoughtless  speech  ;  but  Clement 
having  been  brought  to  understand  the  state  of 
the  case,  by  repeated  kicks  and  nudges  from 
Hunter  Gordon,  and  by  observing  Charlie's 
black  clothes,  very  readily  turned  the  discourse 
into  another  channel. 

"  You  have  come  to  the  right  place  for  arts 
and  all  sorts  of  accomplishments,"  he  said. 
"  Eton  and  Harrow  are  nothing  to  us,  and  there's 
not  a  professor  in  all  the  country  that's  fit  to 
hold  a  candle  to  Eden  —  " 


58  OUDENDALE : 

"  Nor  such  a  donkey  as  Porbury,"  said  the 
boy  who  had  spoken  before. 

"  Johnson,  don't  speak  disrespectfully  of  your 
masters,"  cried  Cleipent,  looking  very  stern, 
which  all  the  other  boys  seemed  to  think  a  very 
good  joke.  "  What  are  you  all  laughing  at  ? 
Hallo,  Bill !  what's  the  row  ?  " 

"  I'm  going  to  turn  out  the  gas  presently, 
gentlemen,"  said  the  red-haired  porter,  looking 
into  the  room. 

"Is  that  all?"  said  Johnson.  "I  thought 
you  had  set  the  house  on  fire  with  that  red  hair 
of  yours,  at  least.  Come  in  here,  Bill,  and  be  in- 
troduced to  the  new  fellow." 

Two  or  three  of  the  boys  darted  forward,  and 
dragged  in  Bill,  who  in  fact  made  no  resistance. 

"  Mr.  Campion,  allow  me  to  have  the  pleasure 
of  introducing  you  to  Mr.  "William  Harris,  com- 
monly called  Bill  Rufus,  from  his  brilliant  cap- 
illary attractions  ;  and  also  William  Tell^  from 
a  disagreeable  habit  which  he  has  of  reporting 
to  the  Master  things  which  we  wish  to  be  kept 
secret.  You  didn't  know  we  had  such  a  his- 
torical character  among  us.     You  may  go  now, 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  59 

Bill ;  and  if  you  put  out  the  gas  for  half  an  hour 
yet,  woe  betide  you." 

Bill  grinned  in  answer,  and  was  allowed  to 
escape.  In  a  minute  or  two,  however,  he  ful- 
filled his  threat,  and  the  whole  room  being 
plunged  in  sudden  darkness,  the  boys  had  to 
get  into  bed  as  best  they  might.  There  was  a 
little  conversation  in  bed,  but  one  by  one  they 
said  "  Good-night,"  and  dropped  off  to  sleep. 
Charlie  stayed  awake  longer  than  any  of  them, 
so  excited  was  he  by  the  new  scene  in  which  he 
was  placed  ;  and  it  was  not  till  Henrys  had 
come  down  from  his  study  at  eleven,  and  retired 
to  his  curtained  bed  at  the  end  of  the  room, 
that  he  too  fell  asleep. 


CHAPTER  Y. 

THE  FIRST  DAY  AT  OUDENDALE. 

"  All,  happy  years  !  once  more,  who  would  not  be  a  boy  I  " 

Byron. 

Charlie  slept  on  quite  soundly  till  six  o'clock 
next  morning,  when  he  was  suddenly  awakened 
by  a  Liddell  and  Scott  striking  him  on  the  head. 
Not  that  he  knew,  of  course,  what  it  was  ;  but 
in  the  middle  of  a  very  delightful  dream,  in 
which  Dr.  Eden,  Bill  Rufus,  and  Miss  Woodville 
all  figured  as  characters,  he  was  conscious  of 
receiving  a  blow  from  some  hard  and  weighty 
substance,  and  immediately  started  up,  rubbing 
his  head  and  his  eyes. 

"  Hallo ! "  cried  Henrys,  who  was  studying 
in  bed,  and  who  had  just  thrown  the  book  by 
which  Charlie  had  been  so  suddenly  awakened. 
"  I  didn't  intend  to  hit  you.  I  beg  your  pardon. 
I  meant  it  for  that  sleepy-headed  pig  beside 


A  TALE  OF   SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  61 

you.  Dale ! "  he  shouted,  at  the  pitch  of  his 
voice,  "  are  you  never  going  to  get  up  ?  I 
have  shied  a  grammar  and  two  Greek  plays  at 
you  already." 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  "  muttered  a  little  boy, 
who  slept  in  the  next  bed  to  Charlie,  sitting  up 
sleepily. 

"  Oh,  you  have  really  awakened  at  length, 
have  you  ?  I  thought  that  I  should  have  to 
shy  a  whole  library  at  you,  besides  bawling  loud 
enough  to  frighten  a  field  full  of  jackasses. 
What's  the  matter  ?  The  matter  is,  that  I 
want  you  to  jump  up  as  quick  as  you  like,  and 
get  me  my  classical  dictionary." 

"  It's  terribly  cold,"  remarked  Dale,  in  a 
tone  of  remonstrance. 

"  I  know  that,  or  I  should  have  got  up  for  it 
myself,"  answered  Henrys,  coolly.  "  There  — 
that's  it,  with  the  red  edges.  Now  pick  up  the 
books  I  threw  at  you,  and  that  will  do." 

Dale  did  as  he  was  bid,  and  then  returned  to 
bed,  where  he  soon  fell  asleep.  As  for  Charlie, 
he  lay  awake,  watching  the  great  man,  who, 
having  leisurely  looked  up  the  word  he  wanted 


62  OUDENDALE : 

in  the  classical  dictionary,  raised  it  as  if  he  were 
going  to  throw  it  at  Dale  again,  but  appeared 
to  think  better  of  it,  and  only  let  it  fall  on  the 
floor. 

"  You're  a  new  fellow,  aren't  you  ? "  re- 
marked Henrys,  in  a  condescending  manner,  as 
he  saw  Charlie's  eyes  fixed  on  him.  "  What's 
your  name.     Is  it  Smith  ?  "       , 

"  No,"  said  Charlie,  smiling,  for  he  perceived 
that  the  great  Mr.  Henrys  was  pleased  to  be 
facetious. 

"  Brown  ?  Jones  ?  Robertson  ?  Snooks  ?  " 

"  No :  Campion." 

"  Campion.  W'ell,  Campion,  I  hope  you  in- 
tend to  behave  yourself.  Do  you  know  who  I 
am  ?  Did  Dr.  Eden  not  specially  remind  you 
to  obey  me  implicitly  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Charlie. 

''What  are  you  laughing  at?  That  must 
have  been  because  he  was  in  a  hurry,  or  he 
would  certainly  have  mentioned  it.  I  am  a 
monitor,  sir,  and  captain  of  this  room,  and  it's 
your  duty  to  do  whatever  I  tell  you.  You  saw 
that  that  fortunate  youth.  Dale,  had  the  privilege 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  63 

granted  to  him  just  now  of  getting  up  to  fetch 
me  a  book.     Don't  you  wish  you  were  he  ?  " 

"Not  particularly,"  said  Charlie,  laughing. 

"  That  shows  your  ignorance  and  want  of 
gratitude  ;  and  if  you  weren't  so  near  that 
humbugging  window,  I  should  take  the  trouble 
to  shy  another  book  at  you,  to  convince  you  of 
your  mistake.  The  seven  gates  of  Thebes  — 
the  seven  gates  of  Thebes  — do  you  know  their 
names  ? " 

"  No." 

"  Then  hold  your  tongue,  and  don't  presume 
to  interrupt  me  again  in  my  studies  ; "  and  this 
inestimable  monitor  returned  to  his  Greek  play. 

But  their  conversation  had  awakened  some 
of  the  other  boys,  who  began  to  sit  up,  yawning 
one  by  one.  Presently  a  bell  sounded,  pro- 
claiming that  it  was  half-past  six,  and  some  of 
the  boys  got  up,  some  lying  in  bed  till  the  last 
moment.  Charlie  was  up  among  the  first,  and 
was  washing  himself,  when  Bill  Rufus  put  his 
red  head  within  the  door  to  see  if  they  were 
awake,  and  instantly  withdrew  it  again,  to  es- 
cape a  volley  of  pieces  of  soap  and  brushes 
which  greeted  his  appearance. 


64  OUDENDALE : 

Henrys  now  began  to  order  the  other  boys 
to  get  up  ;  and  as  he  enforced  his  commands  by 
very  vigorous  threats,  they  were  reluctantly 
obeyed.  He  did  not  get  up  himself,  however, 
till  the  very  last  moment,  and  had  scarcely 
huddled  on  his  clothes  by  the  time  the  chapel 
bell  began  to  ring. 

Charlie  was  ready  in  very  good  time,  and  at 
once  went  oif  with  Gordon  to  the  chapel,  which 
we  have  mentioned  as  being  near  the  gateway 
of  the  college.  They  were  in  plenty  of  time, 
but  most  of  the  boys  came  crowding  in  just  as 
the  bell  stopped  ringing ;  and  indeed  there 
were  several  who  did  not  come  up  till  the  door 
was  shut,  and  consequently  were  absent  from 
chapel,  of  which  they  heard  more  in  the  course 
of  the  day. 

A  portion  of  the  morning  service  was  then 
read  by  one  of  the  masters  ;  and  Charlie,  who 
had  been  always  accustomed  to  reverence,  out- 
wardly at  least,  the  sacred  services  of  religion, 
was  quite  shocked  by  observing  the  indifferent, 
and  even  profane,  conduct  of  many  of  those 
around  him.     Some  were  whispering  together, 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  65 

or  making  signals  to  boys  in  the  next  seat ;  some 
were  looking  over  their  lessons  ;  one  boy  next 
him  was  drawing  pictures  in  his  prayer-book, 
and  another  was  reading  on  the  sly  a  book 
which  looked  very  like  a  novel;  while  a  very 
large  number  seemed  to  be  not  yet  thoroughly 
awakened,  and  would  have  laid  down  their 
heads  on  the  desks  and  gone  to  sleep  if  it  had 
not  been  for  the  monitors,  who  made  it  their 
duty  to  preserve  a  show  of  decorum  by  precept, 
if  not  in  every  case  by  example. 

Whenever  chapel  was  over,  the  boys  hurried 
out,  seemingly  glad  to  have  gone  through  an 
irksome  ceremony.  It  might  be  well  for  those 
who  rule  our  great  public  schools,  to  consider 
whether  compulsory  daily  attendance  upon  such 
sacred  services  is  the  best  means  of  creating 
devout  and  reverential  thoughts  about  them. 

Charlie  stuck  close  to  Gordon,  and  went  with 
him  into  the  English  schoolroom,  as  the  Eng- 
lish lesson  was  the  first  which  his  form  had  that 
day.  It  is  to  be  observed,  that  one  of  the 
heresies  which  Oudendale  was  guilty  of  in  the 

eyes  of  more  ancient  schools,  was,  that  she  held 
5 


66  OUDENDALE: 

it  as  a  principle  that  boys  ought  to  be  taught 
their  own  language,  as  well  as  those  of  long 
defunct  nations.  The  English  master,  however, 
was  not  a  man  calculated  to  interest  boys  in 
the  subjects  which  he  taught.  He  was  stiff, 
formal,  pompous,  and  cold  (something  like  Mr. 
Primrose  in  a  white  tie,  Charlie  thought),  and 
was  known  among  the  boys  by  the  expressive 
name  of  "  Starchey."  .  He  took  no  notice  of 
Charlie,  beyond  entering  his  name  in  the  roll, 
and  telling  him  that  some  of  the  other  boys 
would  show  him  what  books  were  required. 
This  lesson  did  not  last  long,  and  was  of  very 
little  use,  for  the  teacher  seemed  utterly  incom- 
petent either  to  interest  the  boys,  or  to  compel 
them  to  attend. 

At  half-past  eight  came  breakfast  in  the  hall. 
Three  hundred  boys  seated  at  three  long  tables, 
eating  as  much  as  healthy  boys  do  eat  in  as 
short  a  time  as  possible,  and  at  the  same  time 
managing  to  talk  a  good  deal,  is  a  scene  which 
can  be  more  easily  conceived  than  depicted  ; 
and  so  it  will  be  left  to  my  readers'  imagination. 
The  boys  all  got  plenty  of  rolls  and  coffee  pro- 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  67 

vided  for  them  ;  and  there  were  very  few  who 
added  any  luxuries  of  their  own,  as  this  was  a 
practice  much  discouraged  by  Dr.  Eden. 

As  has  been  hinted,  breakfast  did  not  last 
long,  and  Charlie,  who  had  sat  next  Gordon  all 
the  while,  accompanied  him  into  the  quadrangle. 
As  he  was  passing  out,  he  felt  some  one  pull  his 
sleeve,  and  looking  round,  saw  Granville  Browne. 

"  How  do  you  do,  Campion  ?  "  said  that  gen- 
teel youth.  "  I  am  glad  to  see  you  among  us. 
But,  I  say,"  he  added,  sinking  his  voice  to  a 
whisper,  "  that's  a  very  low  set  you've  got  into — 
I  mean  Gordon  and  those  other  fellows  you 
were  talking  to  at  breakfast.  Come  along  with 
me,  and  I  will  introduce  you  to  Mauricodle." 

"  Yes  —  I  want  to  go  after  a  fellow,"  said 
Charlie,  moving  out,  and  going  up  to  Gordon. 

"  Can't  you  come  with  me  ?  "  cried  Browne, 
following  him  ;  but  as  they  came  up  to  Gordon, 
he  turned  round  and  said  — 

"  Hallo  !  Sham,  do  you  know  Campion  ?  " 

"  You  mind  your  own  business,"  said 
Browne,  trying  to  look  very  haughty,  and  walk- 
ing off,  while  Gordon  only  laughed. 


68  OUDENDALE : 

"  That's  an  awful  fool.  He's  one  of  the 
fellows  called  "  The  Swells,"  who  always  hang 
on  about  Lord  Mauricodle.  Browne  goes  by 
the  name  of  "  Mauricodle's  valet  de  chambre,^^ 
or,  "  Sham,"  as  he's  generally  called.  But 
now  we  must  go  into  our  schoolroom.  It's  old 
Porbury  to-day.  Won't  we  have  fun  ?  He's 
quite  mad." 

Charlie  was  then  taken  into  the  fourth-form 
room,  and  introduced  to  Mr.  Porbury  as  a  new 
boy,  who  entered  his  name  on  the  rolls,  and 
directed  him  to  sit  at  the  foot  of  the  class,  and 
look  on  with  the  next  boy.  This  was  a  merry- 
looking  boy,  whose  name,  as  Charlie  discovered 
from  its  being  written  at  least  six  times  over 
the  page  of  Yirgil,  from  which  he  was  now 
making  a  desperate  eifort  to  learn  his  repetition, 
was  Francis  H.  Lurn.  When  he  had  learned 
Charlie's  name,  he  stopped  learning  his  lesson 
to  ask  — 

"  Are  you  any  relation  of  Campion's  —  I 
mean  our  master  ?  " 

"  Yes.     He  is  my  cousin." 

"  Is  he  ?    Then  I  have  a  good  mind  to  give 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  69 

you  a  regular  good  thrashing,"'  said  Lurn, 
laughing.  "  He  turned  me  down  to  the  bottom 
of  the  form  yesterday,  otherwise  you  should  not 
have  had  the  honor  of  my  society,  and  I  think 
I  ought  to  make  you  pay  for  his  misdeeds ; " 
and,  after  another  fit  of  laughing,  Lurn  re- 
turned to  his  Virgil. 

The  boys  belonging  to  the  fourth  form  came 
dropping  in  one  by  one  and  took  their  places  ; 
and  when  the  nine  o'clock  bell  rang,  the  head 
boy  shut  the  door,  and  the  lesson  began. 

Mr.  Porbury  was  undoubtedly  a  very  learned 
man  —  rather  too  learned,  indeed,  for  his  pupils. 
His  mind  was  quite  at  home  in  the  most  lofty 
and  crabbed  kind  of  atics  and  ologies,  but  it 
was  quite  incompetent  to  deal  with  more  trivial, 
yet  not  less  useful  matters.  The  boys  knew 
well  that  they  might  behave  to  him  in  a  way 
which  no  other  master  would  suffer,  as  he  was 
quite  unsuspicious  and  ignorant  of  all  their 
tricks.  Sometimes  he  would  fall  into  deep 
reveries,  or  fits  of  absence,  of  which,  it  must 
with  sorrow  be  stated,  his  pupils  were  generally 
not  slow  to  take  advantage.    He  was  thought 


70  OUDENDALE: 

by  them  to  be  a  little  mad,  and  certainly  had 
not  a  great  share  of  that  valuable  quality, 
common  sense.  In  fact,  though  Mr.  Porbury 
was  a  man  of  great  talents,  and  one  who  had 
written  more  than  one  useful  and  clever  book, 
he  was  by  no  means  fitted  to  be  a  master  in  a 
public  school. 

Charlie  saw  at  once  how  he  was  looked  upon 
by  the  boys,  but  resolved  not  to  join  in  any 
tricks  upon  him.  Not  that  our  hero's  notions 
of  o^bedience  and  respect  to  his  masters  were  at 
this  time  very  strict,  but  he  still  felt  a  tender 
respect  for  the  teachings  of  his  mother,  and  had 
a  repugnance  to  doing  anything  of  which  he 
thought  she  would  not  have  approved. 

Before  the  lesson  had  gone  on  very  far,  at  a 
preconcerted  signal  from  one  boy,  who  was  the 
ringleader  in  all  sorts  of  mischief,  most  of  the 
boys  had  laid  their  books  on  their  knees,  and 
were  all  busily  occupied  in  twirling  their  thumbs, 
which  was  considered  a  capital  joke.  This  in  a 
little  was  exchanged  for  a  simultaneous  swing- 
ing of  feet,  and  then  a  number  of  the  boys,  as  if 
by  accident,  commenced  dropping  their  books, 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  71 

and  making  as  much  noise  as  possible  picking 
them  up  again.  These  proceedings  greatly 
disconcerted  Mr.  Porbury,  who  however  did 
not  understand  the  true  state  of  the  case. 
Charlie  understood  it  well  enough,  for  he  had 
seen  such  tricks  at  the  Bath  Academy ;  but  he 
did  not  join  in  any  of  them.  Lurn,  however, 
twirled  his  thumbs,  and  swung  his  feet,  and 
dropped  his  book,  with  great  glee  ;  and  was 
always  whispering  to  Charlie  something  to 
make  him  laugh.  In  fact  they  were  both  very 
idle,  and  got  little  benefit  from  the  learned  re- 
marks which  Mr.  Porbury  made  upon  the  les- 
son. In  spite  of  all  his  good  resolutions,  Char- 
lie could  not  help  liking  Lurn,  who  was  so  idle, 
mischievous,  and  merry. 

The  reader  must  not  be  kept  too  long  hearing 
about  Mr.  Porbury  and  his  inattentive  scholars. 
The  schoolroom  clock  went  slowly  on  till  it 
reached  the  hour  of  twelve,  when  the  boys  were 
set  free,  and  snatching  their  caps,  rushed  out 
into  the  quadrangle. 

Most  of  the  forms  were  released*  at  this  time 
from  their  separate  schoolrooms,  so   that  the 


72  OUDENDALE: 

quadrangle  was  quite  filled  with  boys  hurrying 
about  in  all  directions,  chattering,  laughing, 
and  shouting.  Charlie  looked  about  for  his 
friend  Gordon,  who  had  taken  upon  himself  to 
be  his  mentor  in  all  matters  relating  to  lessons 
and  games,  but  for  some  time  could  not  see 
him.  Presently  he  heard  Gordon's  voice  crying 
his  name  from  a  window  above,  and  running  up 
to  their  bedroom,  found  him  with  some  wickets 
in  his  hands. 

"  What  do  you  say  to  a  game  of  cricket  ?  " 

"  All  right,"  answered  Charlie,  by  no  means 
loth. 

"  Well,  just  take  these  wickets,  and  run  over 
to  the  field.  You  can't  miss  it ;  it's  right  oppo- 
site the  gate.  Go  as  fast  as  you  can,  and  get  a 
good  place  to  stick  in  the  wickets,  and  I'll  get 
some  fellows  to  come,  and  be  after  you  in  no 
time." 

Charlie  took  the  wickets,  and  went  forth  to 
seek  the  field  as  directed.  "The  Field  ".  was 
a  large  enclosed  space,  which  served  for  a  cricket 
and  football  ground.  Charlie  had  no  difficulty 
in  finding  it,  for,  as  Gordon  said,  it  was  just 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY   LIFE.  73 

opposite  the  gate  of  the  college  on  the  other 
side  of  the  road.  He  eaitered  the  field  by  a 
little  wicket  gate,  through  which  he  saw  some 
other  boys  going  in,  and  at  once  began  to  look 
about  for  a  good  place  to  pitch  the  wickets. 
There  were  not  many  boys  in  the  field,  as  it 
being  now  September,  cricket  was  going  out, 
and  football  had  not  come  in ;  so  Charlie  took 
some  trouble  to  find  out  a  'good  place,  deter- 
mined to  show  his  new  acquaintances  how 
knowing  he  was  in  these  matters.  The  uneven 
ground  near  the  gate,  covered  with  long,  thick 
grass,  he  at  once  rejected  with  scorn,  and  going 
towards  the  centre  of  the  field,  he  found  a  spot 
covered  with  splendid  turf,  and  quite  unoccu- 
pied, which,  congratulating  himself  on  his  great 
good  luck  and  sagacity,  he  fixed  on  as  a  capital 
place  for  a  game.  But  he  had  hardly  stuck 
,one  wicket  into  the  gi^ound  before  a  sixth-form 
iellow  ran  up  in  great  wrath. 

-•"  Hang  you,  what  are  you  doing,  pitching 
yov-r  jwicket^.on  the  first  eleven  ground." 

"  I  didn't  know,"  began  Charlie. 

"  Take   th^  for  not  knowing,   then,"   cried 


74  OUDENDALE: 

the  other,  giving  him  a  box  on  the  ear,  which 
made  him  stagger  back  two  or  three  paces. 
Then  he  snatched  up  a  wicket  and  was  going  to 
strike  him  with  it,  when  he  was  arrested  by  a 
hand  laid  on  his  shoulder,  and  a  voice  — 

"  What's  the  matter,  Clark  ?  " 

"  Matter  !  Here's  this  young  scoundrel  se1>- 
ting  up  his  wickets  on  the  first  eleven  ground." 

"  Don't  you  know  that's  not  allowed  ?  "  said 
the  new  comer,  turning  to  Charlie. 

He  was  just  recovering  from  the  confusion  of 
ideas  which  Clark's  blow  had  caused  in  his 
mind,  and  was  conscious  that  a  tall,  pleasant- 
looking  boy  was  speaking  to  him,  while  Gordon 
and  Lurn  and  two  or  three  others,  bat  and  ball 
in  hand,  were  looking  on  in  surprise  at  some 
little  distance  off. 

"  I  didn't  know.  I  only  came  here  last 
night." 

"  Oh,  that's  it,  is  it  ?  Well,  you  will  know  in 
future  that  you  must  not  venture  to  pitch 
wickets  here,  for  that's  a  most  terrible  crime," 
said  the  tall  boy,  smiling. 

"  Shall  I  just  give  him  another  little  reminder 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  75 

of  the  fact  ?  "  said  Clark,  motioning  to  lift  up 
the  wicket  again. 

"  No,  no,"  answered  the  other,  hastily. 
"  You're  too  violent,  Clark,"  he  added,  in  a 
lower  tone.     "  It's  only  a  mistake,  you  see." 

So  saying,  he  walked  away,  accompanied  by 
Clark,  who  muttered  something  about  little 
boys  being  impudent,  and  thrashings  being  good 
for  them,  but  did  not  attempt  to  do  anything 
more  to  Charlie,  who  gathered  up  his  wickets, 
and  advanced  towards  his  friends,  looking 
rather  chapfallen. 

"  What  tempted  you  to  pitch  the  wickets  in 
the  first  eleven  ground  ?  "  cried  Gordon. 

"I  can  tell  you  what,"  said  Lurn,  "if 
Cholmondeley  hadn't  come  up,  you  would  have 
caught  it  sweetly  from  Clark ; "  and  Lurn  in- 
dulged in  a  lively  pantomime  expressive  of 
Charlie's  sufferings  and  emotions  on  the  sup- 
posititious occasion  to  which  he  referred. 

"  Who's  Cholmondeley  ?  " 

"  Why,  the  captain  of  the  school — that  fellow 
who  came  up  and  made  Clark  stop  thrashing 
you." 


76  OUDENDALE: 

"  He  seems  a  nice  fellow." 

"  Oh,  yes.  Cholmondeley  is  a  jolly  old  chap, 
but  awfully  religious  ;  behaves  in  chapel,  reads 
the  Bible,  and  so  forth,"  said  Lurn,  making  a 
comical  face. 

But  now  the  other  boys  had  pitched  their 
wickets  in  a  less  privileged  spot,  and  the  game 
was  begun,  and  lasted  till  nearly  two  o'clock. 
Dinner  was  at  two,  and  after  dinner  afternoon 
school.  Mr.  Campion  had  the  fourth  form,  and 
proved  himself  to  be  an  able  and  energetic 
teacher  ;  so  Charlie  saw  that  idleness  in  school 
was  the  exception,  and  not  the  rule,  in  Ouden- 
dale  College.  Mr.  Campion  was  the  proper 
master  of  the  fourth  form,  and  it  was  only  twice 
or  thrice  a  week  Mr.  Porbury  heard  it. 

After  afternoon  school,  Charlie  took  a  walk 
with  Gordon  down  into  the  town,  where  he 
laid  out  part  of  one  of  his  sovereigns  in  buying 
a  cricket  ball,  and  sundry  articles  at  the  con- 
fectioner's shop,  which  need  not  be  enumerated. 
While  the  five  sovereigns  lasted  he  very  often 
visited  that  shop,  and  there  were  always  many 
of  his  companions  willing  to  accompany  him 


A  TALE  OF   SCHOOLBOY   LIFE.  77 

there,  for  he  was  very  ready  to  share  all  sorts 
of  good  things  with  others.  Perhaps  it  may 
be  said  that  he  wasted  his  money ;  but  he  was 
by  no  means  a  faultless  character,  remember, 
such  as  we  have  read  of  in  some  story  books, 
where  Master  Goodboy  is  represented  as  be- 
having, oh,  so  well,  and  giving  sage  and  moral 
advice  to  his  naughty  brother. 

At  half-past  six  came  tea,  and  then  the  boys 
sat  in  the  various  schoolrooms  for  an  hour  and 
a  half,  except  those  who  had  studies,  and 
prepared,  or  should  have  prepared,  their  les- 
sons. A  master  sat  in  every  room  to  keep 
order  and  silence  till  half-past  eight  o'clock, 
when  he  left,  and  the  boys  were  at  liberty  to 
amuse  themselves  as  they  liked.  On  this  night 
they  had  some  very  noisy  and  romping  games 
in  the  fourth  form  schoolroom,  which  Charlie 
joined  in  with  great  glee,  and  which  were  no 
doubt  very  good  fun  to  the  boys,  though  they 
sorely  distracted  poor  Mr.  Porbury,  who  was 
studying  in  his  room  above. 

At  half-past  nine  prayers  were  read  in  the 
hall ;  and  then  all  the  boys  who  had  not  at- 


78  OUDENDALE. 

tained  the  dignity  of  being  in  the  fifth  or  sixth 
forms,  went  off  to  their  sleeping-rooms,  which 
were  nearly  all  in  two  different  parts  of  the  quad- 
rangle, known  as  the  East  and  West  House. 

Thus  was  spent  Charlie's  first  day  at  Ouden- 
dale,  and  very  much  he  had  enjoyed  it.  His 
share  of  schoolboy  troubles  was  yet  to  come. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

FRIENDS  AND  FOES. 

"  The  friends  thou  hast  and  their  adoption  tried, 
Grapple  them  to  thy  soul  witli  hoops  of  steel; 
But  do  not  dull  thy  palm  with  entertainment 
Of  each  new-hatched,  unfledged  comrade." 

Shakspeare. 

Charlie's  first  entrance  into  Oudendale  Col- 
lege was  as  it  were  under  the  protection  of 
Gordon,  who  prevented  him  being  hoaxed  or 
played  tricks  on,  as  new  boys  sometimes  were, 
and  initiated  him  into  the  manners  and  cus- 
toms of  the  place.  Before  long,  however,  they 
had  had  two  or  three  quarrels,  as  they  often 
had  at  the  Bath  Academy,  for  Gordon's  great 
failing  was  a  very  quarrelsome  temper.  But  by 
this  time  Charlie  was  quite  able  to  take  care  of 
himself,  and  had  made  several  other  friends  — 
rather  too  many,  indeed.  Charlie  was  too  good- 
natured  to  refuse  his  friendship  to  any  one  who 


80  OUDENDALE: 

sought  it,  even  thougKlie  did  not  much  like 
him  ;  and  there  was  an  innocency  and  refine- 
ment about  him  which,  strange  to  say,  attracted 
those  who  had  a  lamentable  want  of  such 
qualities.  Clement,  who  was  one  of  the  most 
reckless  and  ill-behaved  boys  in  the  school,  but 
who  was  not  without  traces  of  a  better  nature 
in  his  character,  took  an  extraordinary  fancy  to 
Charlie,  which  he  himself  could  scarcely  account 
for.  "  He's  so  jolly  innocent,"  he  explained  to 
one  of  his  other  friends  as  the  cause  of  this 
singular  attachment.  Charlie  was  often  seen 
walking  with  Clement,  and  if  he  did.  not  feel 
inclined  to  imitate  his  conduct  on  all  points,  at 
all  events  he  did  not  show  any  dislike  to  him. 
Granville  Browne  grew  also  very  intimate  with 
him,  though  he  was  a  boy  whom  Charlie  did 
not  much  care  about.  But  we  have  seen  that 
he  was  too  good-natured  to  repulse  any  one 
who  desired  to  be  intimate  with  him.  So  for 
some  time  Charlie  had  a  great  many  compan- 
ions, but  none  whom  he  liked  well  enough  to 
look  upon  as  his  Jidus  Achates. 

With  his  masters,  too,  Charlie  got  on  pretty 


A  TALE   OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  81 

well ;  though  so  far  from  favoring  him,  Mr. 
Campion,  who  generally  heard  the  chief  lessons 
of  the  fourth  form,  was  rather  more  than  usu- 
ally strict  with  his  cousin,  so  afraid  was  he  of 
being  suspected  of  partiality.  Charlie  was  not 
a  very  clever  boy,  —  the  only  thing  he  had  any 
particular  talent  for  was  writing  poetry,  —  but 
he  was  not  by  any  means  either  very  stupid  nor 
lazy  ;  so  that  he  soon  gained  and  kept  a  respect- 
able place  in  the  form  —  above  his  friends 
Gordon  and  Lurn.  Clement,  who  was  not  at 
all  stupid,  but  very  idle,  was  generally  to  be 
found  at  or  near  the  bottom,  and  Granville 
Browne  about  the  same  place  as  Charlie.  Gran- 
ville's friend.  Lord  Mauricodle  (Mollycoddle  he 
was  generally  called) ,  was  also  in  the  fourth  form, 
and  rather  low  down  in  it  too,  —  a  pale-faced, 
effeminate,  stupid-lookmg  boy,  who  learned 
just  as  little  as  possible,  and  generally  amused 
himself  in  school,  when  the  Master  was  not 
looking,  by  throwing  peas  at  his  particular 
friends,  of  whom  he  had  several.  Public  opin- 
ion in  the  school  accused  these  particular  friends 
of  taking  delight  in  hanging  on  to  a  Marquis 


82  OUDENDALE: 

and  flattering  him.  Tiiis  they  denied ;  but, 
certainly,  when  Lord  Mauricodle  threw  peas  at 
them,  they  never  threw  back  again,  or  at  least 
took  care  not  to  hit  him,  which  looked  suspi- 
cious. At  all  events,  the  youthful  peer  and  his 
circle  of  friends  were  generally  disliked  in  the 
school  for  the  airs  which  they  gave  themselves, 
and  were  called  "  the  Swells."  Oudendale  be- 
ing a  comparatively  new  school.  Lord  Mauri- 
codle was  the  only  member  of  the  nobility  in 
it,  and  was  therefore  made  much  of  by  all  these 
tuft-hunters. 

Charlie  was  fortunate  in  only  making  one 
enemy  during  his  first  half  at  Oudendale.  This 
was  a  coarse,  disagreeable-looking  boy  call  Ed- 
monds, one  of  the  most  stupid  and  ill-behaved 
fellows  in  the  fourth  form,  who  ever  since  he 
came  to  the  school  had  bullied  all  the  boys 
whom  he  could  thrash,  and  toadied  all  those 
whom  he  could  not. 

There  is  a  large  playground,  known  as  "  the 
Yard,"  just  outside  the  college,  and  communi- 
cating with  the  quadrangle,  which  was  used  for 
all  sorts  of  small  games  —  nothing  less  dignified 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  83 

than  cricket  or  football  being  permitted  in  the 
field.  Charlie  was  one  day  walking  through 
the  yard,  when  he  saw  Dale,  a  third-form  boy, 
whom  we  have  already  heard  of,  following 
Edmonds,  and  apparently  asking  for  something 
which  the  other  seemed  unwilling  to  give. 

"  Give  me  back  my  knife,"  Dale  was  entreat- 
ing.    '•  Please  do,  Edmonds." 

"  I'll  give  it  to  you  another  time." 

"  But  I  want  it  just  now;  I  do,  really.  You 
know  you  promised  to  give  it  me  back." 

"  Yes,  but  I  didn't  say  when.  I'll  give  it 
you  on  the  Greek  Calends.  Go  and  look  up  in 
the  dictionary  and  find  out  when  that  is,"  and 
Edmonds  laughed  loudly  at  this  piece  of  stale  wit. 

"  What  are  you  two  fighting  about  ?  "  asked 
Charlie,  stopping  as  he  passed  them. 

"  I  loaned  Edmonds  my  knife,  and  he  won't 
give  it  me  back  again.  It's  a  beastly  shame !" 
cried  Dale,  his  indignation  making  him  forget 
his  fear  for  Edmonds,  who  was  a  great,  strong 
boy,  and  a  notorious  bully. 

"  Why  don't  you  give  him  his  knife  ?  "  asked 
Charlie,  turning  to  Edmonds. 


84  OUDENDALE : 

"  TVliy  don't  you  mind  your  own  business  ?  " 
answered  he,  sulkily.  "  I'll  give  it  him  back 
just  whenever  I  please." 

"  You'll  give  it  him  back  this  very  instant," 
said  Charlie,  in  a  cool,  firm  way,  which  both 
amazed  and  disconcerted  the  bully,  who  did 
not  think  that  Charlie,  generally  very  easy  and 
good-tempered,  had  so  much  spirit  in  him. 

"  If  you  want  a  thrashing,  I'll  give  you  one 
very  soon  ;  and  if  you  don't,  you'll  walk  off  as 
fast  as  you  like,"  cried  Edmonds,  wrathfully. 

"  You'll  give  Dale  back  his  knife,"  said  Char- 
lie, assuming  a  hostile  attitude. 

At  this  moment  two  or  three  little  boys,  who 
had  been  spectators  of  the  scene,  raised  the  cry 
of  "  a  fight,"  and  from  every  side  all  the  boys 
in  the  yard  came  running  up.  They  found 
Edmonds  in  a  terrible  rage,  while  Charlie  stood 
opposite  to  him,  quite  cool,  though  slightly 
flushed ;  fox,  to  do  him  justice,  he  was  coura- 
geous enough,  and  was  not  at  all  frightened  at 
his  blustering  opponent,  who  looked  far  bigger 
and  stronger. 

"  A  fight !  A  fight !     Make  a  ring !     What's 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  85 

it  about  ?  Come  on  now,  Edmonds !  Stand 
up  to  liim,  Campion !  "  These  were  the  con- 
fused cries  of  the  crowd  which  had  instantly 
gathered  round  them,  and  Charlie  found  him- 
self just  on  the  point  of  beginning  a  regular 
fight  with  Edmonds,  in  which  he  certainly  did 
not  seem  likely  to  come  off  best.  But  before  a 
blow  had  been  struck,  the  ring  was  broken 
through  by  Cholmondeley  and  Henrys,  who  had 
happened  to  be  passing  by  at  the  time. 

"Stop  now,"  cried  Cholmondeley.  "There 
is  to  be  no  fighting.     What's  this  all  about  ?  " 

A  dozen  voices  were  instantly  raised,  giving 
various  accounts  of  the  quarrel,  but  among  the 
hubbub  Cholmondeley  managed  to  find  out  the 
true  state  of  the  case  from  Dale,  and  turning  to 
Edmonds,  said  : 

"  I  see  this  is  all  your  fault.  You  give  that 
knife  back  again  to  Dale  immediately,  and  be 
thankful  that  I  don't  give  you  a  good  thrash- 
ing." 

Edmonds  sulkily  obeyed,  muttering,  "  I  was 
going  to  have  given  it  to  him." 

"  You  should  have  given  it  to  him  when  he 


86  OUDENDALE: 

asked  for  it.  Now  if  I  catch  you  bullying  any 
more,  or  fighting  with  Campion  or  anybody 
else,  you  won't  get  off  so  easy." 

"  So  you  had  just  better  look  out,"  added 
Henrys,  who  did  not  approve  of  any  one  but 
himself  tyrannizing  over  smaller  boys. 

And  so  speaking,  the  two  sixth-form  boys 
strode  off. 

''  He  must  be  a  plucky  fellow,  that  Campion, 
to  stand  up  to  a  great  big  brute  like  Edmonds," 
remarked  Henrys.  "It's  almost  a  pity  you 
stopped  it." 

"  You  know  it  is  Dr.  Eden's  wish  that  we 
should  stop  all  fights." 

"  Well,  hang  it,  Cholmondeley,  why  are  you 
so  conscientious  ?  You  should  shut  your  eyes 
whenever  you  are  not  obliged  to  see." 

Cholmondeley  looked  rather  grave,  but  said 
nothing.  • 

Edmonds  did  not  attempt  to  renew,  or  rather 
to  begin,  the  light,  for  he  knew  that  Cholmon- 
deley would  keep  his  word  ;  so  the  only  result 
of  the  affair  was,  that  Charlie  got  a  great  deal 
of  credit  for  his  pluckiness  in  standing  up  to 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  87 

such  a  big  fellow  as  Edmonds,  and  became  more 
of  a  favorite  than  ever. 

But  Edmonds  from  this  time  lost  no  oppor- 
tunity of  showing  that  he  had  conceived  a  most 
rancorous  hatred  towards  him. 

When  Mr.  Campion,  who  took  a  greater  in- 
terest in  Charlie  than  he  was  aware  of,  heard 
of  this  quarrel,  and  the  reason  of  it,  he  was  not 
much  displeased,  for  he  saw  that  Charlie  had 
the  right  on  his  side,  and  was  glad  to  think 
that  he  was  brave  and  generous  enough  to 
stand  up  for  the  weaker  side.  But  he  was  not 
by  any  means  pleased  at  the  character  of  some 
of  Charlie's  companions.  Gordon  and  Lurn  he 
was  not  so  much  afraid  of,  for  theirs  were  only 
the  usual  faults  of  boys  ;  but  from  Clement, 
Browne,  and  some  others  of  that  set,  he  feared 
his  cousin  would  learn  some  pernicious  habits 
which  might  be  his  ruin.  Clement  had  already 
narrowly  escaped  expulsion  for  being  found  in 
a  low  public  house  ;  and  scarcely  a  day  passed 
but  what  he  had  to  be  punished  for  something 
or  other.  Granville  Browne  and  "  the  Swells  " 
thought  themselves  more  refined  and  altogether 


88  OUDENDALE: 

superior  to  the  other  boys  of  their  age,  and  to 
prove  it,  were  accustomed  to  laugh  at  all  virtue 
and  to  endeavor  to  imitate  many  of  the  vices 
and  follies  of  their  elders.  "  The  Swells " 
would  have  been  insulted  to  have  been  called 
"  boys  "  ;  most  of  them  thought  themselves 
"  young  men,"  though  they  were  only  fourteen 
or  fifteen  years  old. 

Mr.  Campion,  therefore,  did  not  think  that 
Charlie  would  get  any  good  from  these  com- 
panions ;  and  having  asked  Mm  to  tea  one  half- 
holiday,  gave  him,  what  Charlie  thought,  a  very 
long  and  wearisome  admonition  upon  this  and 
other  points.  We  have  seen  that  Charlie  did 
not  care  very  much  for  any  of  these  boys,  and 
only  remained  in  their  society  because  he  would 
not  take  the  trouble  to  avoid  it ;  but  in  spite  of 
his  good  nature,  there  was  a  grain  of  obstinacy 
and  wilfulness  in  his  character,  which  made 
him  resent  his  cousin's  attempt  to  meddle  with 
his  friendships.  So  he  listened  in  silence  to  Mr. 
Campion's  advice,  and  was  more  than  ever  to 
be  seen  in  company  with  the  boys  whom  he 
had  warned  him  against.    Mr.  Campion  noticed 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  89 

this,  and  felt  very  much  grieved  and  discour- 
aged. 

Charlie  did  not  at  first  get  as  much  harm 
from  these  companions  as  another  hoy  might 
have  done.  There  was  a  certain  purity  of 
thought  in  him  which  px^eserved  him  to  a  cer- 
tain extent  from  the  contagion  of  evil.  Though 
he  showed  no  sign  of  disgust  at  the  sinful  con- 
versation and  the  bad  habits  in  which  most  of 
them  delighted,  he  was  by  no  means  inclined 
to  imitate  them,  and  even  rather  disliked  many 
of  those  with  whom  he  seemed  to  bo  on  tho 
most  friendly  terms.  Though  he  had  many 
companions,  he  often  thought  he  would  like  to 
exchange  them  all  for  one  real  friend,  ono 
loving  and  sympathizing  heart,  which  would 
help  to  fill  up  the  void  his  mother's  death  had 
made  in  his  own.  Often  recurring  thoughts  of 
her  goodness  and  gentleness  and  love  kept  him 
from  much  of  the  evil  by  which  he  was  sur- 
rounded ;  but  as  yet  he  had  no  thought  of  tho 
Friend  whom  she  had  found,  loving  and  con- 
soling above  all  others. 

The  only  fellow  whom  Charlie  thought  he 


90  OUDENDALE. 

could  really  like  was  Lurn,  who  was  a  remarka- 
bly generous  and  honorable  boy,  and  had  many 
other  good  qualities  ;  he  was  also  rather  mis- 
chievous ;  but  this  proceeded  from  a  mere  love 
of  fun  and  merriment  rather  than  from  a  bad 
disposition.  But  he  kept  this  attachment  a 
secret  for  some  time,  though  it  grew  every  day. 


CHAPTER  YII. 

"HOT  COALS." 

"  'Tis  thus  that  on  our  choice  of  friends 
Our  good  or  evil  name  depends." 

Gat. 

It  has  been  mentioned  that  Charlie  did  not 
get  so  much  harm  from  his  bad  companions  as 
many  others  would  have  done.  For  some  time 
he  always  declined  to  accompany  them  to  public- 
houses  and  other  forbidden  places,  and  he  never 
allowed  himself  to  swear,  or  to  take  any  part  in 
improper  conversations,  though  he  made  no 
pretensions  to  superior  virtue.  But  still,  he 
was  not  altogether  unharmed  by  this  tainted 
atmosphere;  and  day  by  day  his  respect  for 
his  mother's  memory,  and  for  the  lessons  which 
she  had  taught  him,  was  decreasing.  "  Can 
one  go  upon  hot  coals,  and  his  feet  not  be 
burned  ? " 


92  OUDESTDALE: 

For  some  time  Charlie  would  never  learn  his 
lessons  in  any  dishonorable  way,  as  Clement, 
Granville  Browne,  and  most  of  his  other  as- 
sociates did.  He  looked  up  all  the  words  in 
his  grammar  and  dictionary,  and  even  though 
a  crib  might  be  lying  just  beside  him,  he  never 
looked  into  it. 

One  day,  however,  being  unexpectedly  called 
up  to  construe  by  Mr.  Campion,  when  he  had 
not  learned  the  lesson  very  perfectly,  he  got 
up  in  great  confusion,  and  having  stammered 
out  the  Latin,  seemed  likely  to  break  down  at 
the  translation,  Clement,  who  was  sitting  next 
him,  took  advantage  of  Mr.  Campion's  eye 
being  turned  away  for  a  moment  to  slip  into 
his  hand  a  piece  of  paper,  containing  an  English 
translation  of  the  passage  which  they  were 
reading.  Charlie  did  not  refuse  it,  but  put  it 
into  his  book,  and  then  began  to  translate  from 
it.  Mr.  Campion,  who  had  suspected  from  the 
way  in  which  he  had  begun  the  translation  that 
he  did  not  know  it,  was  now  surprised  to  hear 
him  reading  so  fluently,  and  at  first  looked  to 
see  whether  he  was  not  being  prompted  by  some 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LITE.  93 

one  near  him.  But  they  were  all  silent,  and 
still  Charlie  went  on  turning  the  Latin  into 
most  excellent  grammar,  and  using  most  elegant 
words,  contrary  to  the  usual  custom  of  school- 
boys ;  for  Charlie  was  not  skilled  in  deceiving, 
and  had  not  the  cunning  to  alter  a  little^ the 
grandiloquent  language  of  the  "  crib."  When 
he  had  finished,  ^h\  Campion  said,  looking  him 
in  the  face, 

"  Were  you  reading  that  from  a  translation  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  answered  Charlie,  after  a  little 
hesitation,  growing  very  red. 

A  look,  half  of  anger,  half  of  grief,  passed 
over  Mr.  Campion's  face,  for  his  ideas  of  honor 
being  most  strict  and  scrupulous,  it  gave  him 
great  pain  to  see  any  one  whom  he  took  an 
interest  in  acting  dishonorably.  But  this  passed 
off  in  an  instant,  and  stretching  out  his  hand, 
he  said,  in  a  quiet  voice, 

"  Give  it  to  me." 

Charlie,  blushing  still  more,  and  not  darmg 
to  look  him  in  the  face,  took  the  leaf  of  the 
translation  out  of  his  book,  and  handed  it  to 
him. 


94  OUDENDALE : 

"  Are  you  in  the  habit  of  using  this  ?  " 

"  No,  sir,"  answered  Charlie,  more  confi- 
dently, for  he  was  only  telling  the  truth  now. 

"Whose  is  it?" 

Charlie  made  no  answer,  and  indeed  would 
nev^er  have  brought  Clement  into  a  scrape  ;  but 
Clement  at  once  rose,  and  said,  in  a  jaunty, 
defiant  manner, 

"  It  is  mine.  I  gave  it  to  Campion.  I  am 
in  the  habit  of  using  it." 

Mr.  Campion  almost  lost  his  temper  at  this ; 
not  only  because  of  Clement's  impertinence, 
but  because  of  the  harm  which  he  was  doing 
to  his  cousin;  but  he  restrained  himself,  and 
tearing  up  the  paper  into  bits,  said, 

"  You  will  Ijoth  go  to  Mr.  Horsley  at  twelve 
o'clock,  and  be  caned.  I  fear  I  cannot  in 
future  trust  to  the  honor  of  either  of  you." 

With  this,  motioning  to  Charlie  to  sit  down, 
Mr.  Campion  turned  to  another  boy,  and  or- 
dered him  to  go  on.  But  though  he  seemed 
indifferent,  in  his  heart  he  was  deeply  grieved 
at  this.  Charlie  was  also  in  no  very  happy 
frame  of  mind  —  though  he  was  not  so  much 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  95 

anuoyed  at  having  to  be  punished,  as  ashamed 
of  having  been  found  out  doing  such  a  dishonor- 
able action. 

At  twelve  o'clock  Mr.  Campion  gave  the  two 
boys  a  note,  and  sent  them  off  to  Mr.  Horsley's 
room.  Mr.  Horsley  was  the  Senior  Master,  the 
next  in  authority  to  the  Master,  Dr.  Eden.  It 
was  his  duty  to  inflict  all  floggings  and  canings  ; 
and  at  twelve  o'clock  a  number  of  boys  might 
often  be  seen  waiting  at  his  door,  with  notes 
from  the  various  masters  detailing  their  faults. 
This  ridiculous  custom  Dr.  Eden  soon  after- 
wards abolished,  and  gave  to  all  the  masters 
the  right  of  punishing  in  their  own  schoolrooms. 
Mr.  Horsley  indeed  was  not  a  man  to  be  much 
trusted  with  the  power  of  the  rod.  He  was 
very  choleric,  or  what  schoolboys  call  "  waxy," 
and  hasty ;  so  that  the  punishment  of  any 
ofiender  was  determined,  not  so  much  by  his 
own  deserts,  as  by  the  state  of  Mr.  Horsley's 
temper  on  that  particular  forenoon. 

As  Charlie  and  Clement  made  their  way 
across  the  quadrangle,  in  company  with  Lurn, 
who  was  also   sent  up   for   a   caning  by   Mr. 


96  OUDENDALE: 

Campion,  thej  were  favored  by  some  of  the 
others  with  intelligence  by  no  means  calculated 
to  inspire  them. 

"  Are  you  fellows  going  up  to  Horsley  ?  " 
asked  one  boy. 

"  Yes.  We  are  going  to  decline  the  verb 
ca^o,"  said  Lurn,  who  could  never  resist  a  joke. 

"  Then  I  can  tell  you  I  wouldn't  like  to  be 
in  your  skins.  Horsley  is  as  waxy  as  a  mad 
bull  to-day.     Won't  you  catch  it?" 

"  I'll  cheat  the  old  fool,"  cried  Clement,  with 
an  oath.  "  Come  on,  and  let  us  put  something 
up  our  backs,  under  our  jackets :  he'll  never 
find  out." 

"  Not  I.  I'm  going  to  have  no  more  non- 
sense," said  Charlie,  rather  sulkily,  for  he  was 
vexed  both  with  Clement  and  with  himself. 

"  Nor  I,"  added  Lurn. 

"  Well,  don't  go  in  for  a  little.  I'll  be  back 
in  a  moment ;  "  and  Clement  darted  off,  leaving 
his  companions  just  at  the  door  of  Mr.  Horsley 's 
room,  where  there  was  only  one  little  boy  in  the 
second  form,  who  was  waiting  in  fear  and 
trembling,  and  had  not  yet  summoned  up 
courage  to  knock. 


A  TALE  OF   SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  97 

"  What's  that  fellow  Clement  going  to  be  up 
to  now  ? "  observed  Liirn.  "  He  had  better 
look  out  what  tricks  ho  plays  on  Horslej,  or  he 
may  find  him  just  a  little  too  sharp." 

Presently  Clement  came  running  back,  and 
then  they  knocked  at  the  door. 

"  Come  in,"  cried  a  loud,  gruff  voice,  and 
the  four  boys  entering,  with  Clement  at  their 
head,  found  themselves  in  the  presence  of  the 
terrible  Mr.  Horsley,  a  stout,  red-faced  man, 
who  read  the  notes  which  they  brought  from 
their  masters,  and  then  took  out  his  cane. 

First  he  caned  the  second-form  boy,  who 
brought  a  very  long  list  of  offences  from  the 
French  master  ;  but  Mr.  Horsley  smiled  rather 
grimly  on  reading  it,  for  the  French  master  was 
given  to  magnify  very  small  matters  into  hei- 
nous crimes,  and  this  had  been  the  case  in  the 
present  instance  ;  so  he  merely  gave  him  one  or 
two  strokes,  and  sent  him  off  much  relieved, 
to  boast  among  his  companions  of  the  terrible 
thrashing  which  he  had  just  received.  Then 
Mr.  Horsley  told   Clement  to  stand  out;  and 

even  Charlie,  in  his  discontented  humor,  could 
7 


98  OUDENDALE : 

scarcely  help  smiling,  when,  at  the  first  stroke 
of  the  cane  across  Clement's  shoulders,  one  of 
two  copy-books,  which  that  ingenious  youth 
had  stuffed  up  his  back,  underneath  his  jacket, 
became  loosened,  and  fell  to  the  floor.  As 
for  Lurn,  he  could  not  restrain  himself  from 
a  burst  of  laughter.  But  the  effect  on  Mr. 
Horsley  was  to  put  him  in  a  great  passion,  and 
he  thrashed  away  with  all  his  might  at  Clement, 
till  not  only  the  other  copy-book  had  fallen  out, 
but  the  boy  lost  his  defiant  and  careless  manner, 
writhed  about,  and  by  biting  his  lips,  scarcely 
prevented  himself  from  giving  utterance  to  a 
cry  of  pain,  which  he  had  often  boasted  no  flog- 
ging had  yet  ever  wrung  from  him. 

"  I  will  teach  you,  sir,  to  practise  your  tricks 
on  me,"  he  cried,  angrily. 

"  I  thought  I  might  do  it,"  said  Clement, 
who,  though  nearly  mad  with  pain,  had  still 
the  unblushing  impudence  to  tell  a  deliberate 
and  evident  lie,  which  only  increased  Mr.  Hors- 
ley's  wrath.  At  length  he  stopped,  and  indeed 
it  was  time,  for  Clement's  back  was  afterwards 
found  to  be   striped  like   a  tiger's.     Then  he 


A  TALE  OF   SCHOOLBOY   LIFE.  99 

turned  to  the  other  two,  and  it  must  be  con- 
fessed that,  though  tliey  were  not  by  any  means 
cowards,  they  did  not  feel  very  comfortable. 
However,  Mr.  Horsley's  wrath  seemed  to  have 
been  exhausted  on  the  unfortunate  Clement,  for 
he  only  gave  them  each  a  few  cuts,  and  sent 
them  all  off. 

This  was  the  first,  but  it  was  far  from  being 
the  last  caning  which  Charlie  received  from  Mr. 
Horsley.  Indeed,  he  was  sent  up  to  that  gen- 
tleman's room  rather  frequently  ;  and  in  due 
time  came  to  look  upon  a  caning,  unless  it  was 
rather  more  severe  than  usual,  as  a  mere  joke. 
Clement  once  offered  to  make  a  bet  with  him, 
as  to  which  of  them  should  get  more  canings 
before  Christmas,  but  Charlie  would  not  bet ; 
nor  indeed  did  he  care  to  do  wrong  merely  for 
the  sake  of  doing  wrong  and  getting  punished, 
as  Clement  seemed  to  do. 

Mr.  Campion  saw  Charlie's  conduct  with 
great  sorrow.  He  very  often  had  long  talks 
with  Cholmondeley,  and  sometimes  told  him 
of  his  anxiety  about  Charlie.  This  anxiety  he 
carefully  concealed  from  any  one  else,  and  he 


100  OUDENDALE : 

never  addressed  Charlie  in  any  more  familiar 
manner  than  he  did  the  other  boys :  perhaps  he 
was  even  more  constrained  towards  him,  and 
more  severe  towards  his  faults,  so  afraid  was  he 
that  he  should  seem  to  "  favor  "  his  relation. 

"  You  don't  know  how  discouraged  I  feel 
about  that  boy,"  he  said  to  Cholmondeley  one 
night.  "  He  has  so  much  in  him  that  is  truly 
amiable  and  beautiful,  and  yet  he  seems  to  be 
fast  becoming  one  of  the  worst-behaved  boys  in 
the  school.  Both  yesterday  and  to-day  I  had 
him  caned  for  being  unprepared  with  his  Vir- 
gil, and  misbehaving  in  school.  I  must  send  him 
up  to  Dr.  Eden  soon,  if  this  goes  on.  I  do  wish 
that  I  could  get  him  away  from  some  of  those 
friends  of  his.     They  will  be  the  ruin  of  him." 

"  Don't  you  think  that  perhaps  we  need  not 
be  so  discouraged  after  all  ?  "  said  Cholmon- 
deley, in  that  modest,  half-reluctant  manner 
with  which  a  true  Christian  offers  his  opinion 
to  one  who  is  older  and  wiser  than  himself. 
"  He  might  have  associated  with  very  well- 
behaved  boys,  and  been  outwardly  well-behaved 
himself,  while  his  heart  would  be  still  unchanged. 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  T.IFE.  101 

Perhaps  God  may  be  taking  his  own  way  to 
work  his  own  work  within  him." 

''  True,  true.  His  ways  are  not  as  our  ways, 
nor  his  thoughts  as  our  thoughts.  God  often 
works  good  by  what  appears  to  us  to  be  evil, 
and  it  is  sinful  of  us  to  distrust  him.  May  he 
change  Charlie's  heart." 

Cholmondeley  was  one  among  a  thousand. 
It  would  be  well  for  all  our  schools  if  such  boys 
were  at  their  heads.  Brave,  agile,  generous, 
talented,  with  all  the  qualities  which  command 
the  respect  and  admiration  of  boys,  he  had  also 
sought  his  Creator  early,  and  his  heart  was 
filled  with  his  precious  love.  The  amount  of 
good  which  a  boy  placed  in  his  position  has  it 
in  his  power  to  do,  is  incalculable  ;  and  Chol- 
mondeley deeply  felt  his  responsibility,  and,  by 
God's  help,  earnestly  sought  to  do  good  in  the 
school,  both  by  precept  and  example.  His 
brother  monitors  were  shamed  into  doing  their 
duty  by  the  influence  which  he  had  over  them, 
though  many  of  them  were  quite  unfit  for  the 
posts  which  they  occupied.  No  one  ever  ven- 
tured to  utter  an   oath,  or  to  plan  anything 


10^  .  0rjUF2;ifALE: 

wrong,  before  Cholmondeley.  Some  of  the  boys 
pretended  to  laugh  at  him  for  being  "  a  saint ; " 
but,  nevertheless,  they  all  felt  that  there  was 
something  about  liim  —  a  superiority  in  his 
character  and  principles  —  wliich  they  must 
respect  though  they  could  not  appreciate. 

The  first  time  Cholmondeley  saw  Charlie  af- 
ter this  conversation  with  Mr.  Campion,  he 
called  him  aside,  and  said,  in  a  pleasant 
manner  — 

"  I  say.  Campion,  I  have  twice  saved  you 
from  getting  a  thrashing." 

"  Twice  !  "  cried  Charlie,  laughing.  "  Only 
once,  you  mean.  You  don't  think  Edmonds 
would  have  licked  me,  do  you  ?  " 

"  At  all  events  you  are  in  my  debt.  Now,  I 
want  to  ask  you  a  favor." 

"  All  right.     What  is  it  ?  " 

"  I  want  you  to  learn  your  lessons  better, 
and  not  get  punished  so  often." 

Charlie  looked  up  at  him  with  a  comical  smile. 

"  I  am  not  joking,"  said  Cholmondeley,  more 
gravely.  "  When  your  cousin,  Mr.  Campion, 
takes  so  much  pains  with  you,  you  ought  to  try 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  103 

and  do  your  best  not  to  give  him  trouble.  Don't 
you  tliink  I  am  right  ?  " 

"  Well  —  yes.  I  will  try  and  learn  my  les- 
sons better,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing." 

"  Another  thing  Mr.  Campion  is  sorry  to  see 
is,  that  you  have  got  some  friends  who  will  do 
you  no  good." 

"  What  does  he  know  about  it  ?  " 

"  He  sees  you  constantly  associating  with 
them." 

"  Well,  perhaps  they  aren't  very  well-behaved 
fellows  ;  but  I  needn't  do  what  they  do,  unless 
I  like," 

Cholmondeley  saw  that  it  would  be  injudicious 
to  say  anything  more  on  the  subject ;  so,  after  a 
few  more  trifling  remarks,  he  walked  away, 
pleased  with  Charlie's  frankness,  yet  sorry  for 
his  obstinacy  in  opposing  Mr.  Campion's  wishes, 
for  Cholmondeley  saw  enough  of  Charlie's 
character  to  know  that  he  could  have  no  very 
warm  love  for  wicked  boys  like  Clement,  and 
foolish  ones  like  Granville  Browne. 

"  I  think  we  had  better  leave  him  alone,"  he 
said  to  Mr.  Campion ;  "  and  I  have  no  doubt 


104  OUDENDALE. 

that  lie  will  get  disgusted  with  some  of  his 
worst  companions,  of  his  own  accord." 

For  a  time  at  least  Charlie  kept  his  promise 
to  Cholmondeley :  he  became  much  more  dili- 
gent in  his  lessons,  and  behaved  better  in  school, 
but  he  was  not  less  intimate  with  Clement,  and 
others  of  the  same  stamp. 


CHAPTER  YIII. 

"THE  SWELLS." 

"In  cute  curanda  plus  aequo  operata  juventus." 

Horace. 

"  Your  Lordship  and  Your  Grace  !  what  school  can  teach 
A  rhetoric  equal  to  those  parts  of  speech  ? 
What  need  of  Homer's  verse,  or  Tally's  prose  — 
Sweet  interjections! —  if  he  learn  but  those." 

COWPER. 

AxLUSiON  has  been  made  to  a  small  clique  of 
young  gentlemen,  nicknamed  "  The  Swells," 
who  thought  themselves  immensely  superior  to 
all  the  other  boys  of  their  own  age.  Tliese 
young  gentlemen,  when  they  did  go  out  of  the 
college,  seldom  did  anything  but  lounge  up 
and  down  the  one  or  two  chief  streets  of  Ou- 
dendale,  looking  in  at  the  shop-windows,  star- 
ing superciliously  at  the  passers-by,  and  laboring 
under  the  delusion  that  everybody  was  admiring 
them.    Lord  Mauricodle  was  a  sort  of  sover- 


106  OUDENDALE: 

eign  among  the  swells,  and  Granville  Browne 
was  his  chief  toady.  There  was  another  boy 
called  Harrison,  who  had  a  reputation  for  being 
funny,  and  who  was  attached  to  Mauricodle  in 
the  quality  of  buffoon,  just  as  long  ago  a 
prince  used  to  have  his  jester. 

One  Saturday  afternoon  these  three  asked 
Charlie  to  come  out  with  them,  and  he  was  too 
good-natured  to  refuse,  though  he  had  no  am- 
bition to  be  reckoned  among  the  number  of 
Lord  Mauricodle's  retinue.  First  they  went  to 
a  pastrycook's  shop  in  Oudendale,  and  regaled 
themselves  on  ices,  tarts,  and  toffee,  all  which 
Mauricodle  desired  the  shopkeeper,  in  a  con- 
descending manner,  to  put  down  to  his  "  tick." 
Then  they  entered  a  tobacco-shop,  and  Browne 
asked  for  one  of  the  best  cigars,  and  began 
smelling  and  examining  most  critically  a  bundle 
which  the  tobacconist  handed  him. 

"  Ah,  these  are  real  Havanas,  Evans,  aren't 
they  ? "  said  he,  looking  sagely  at  them. 

"Keal  Havanas,  sir,  and  no  mistake,"  said 
Evans,  winking  at  another  customer,  who  was 
sitting  smoking  beside  the  counter.     "  They're 


A  TALE  OF   SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  107 

part  of  a  splendid  lot  tiiat  I  have  got  straight 
from  Cuba,  and  only  four  shillings  a  dozen." 

"  How  very  cheap !  "  exclaimed  both  Maiiri- 
codle  and  Browne. 

"  Yes,  my  lord,  it's  not  in  every  shop  that 
you  would  get  such  cigars  so  cheap." 

"  Give  me  half  a  dozen  to  try,"  said  Browne. 
"  Mauricodle,  if  you've  got  your  purse,  I  wish 
you  would  pay  for  them,  for  I  have  forgot  mine." 

Mauricodle  paid  for  the  cigars,  and  they  left 
the  shop. 

"I  wish  I  could  get  everybody  to  give  me 
four  shillings  a  dozen  for  cabbage  leaves,"  said 
the  tobacconist  to  his  customer,  when  the  boys 
were  gone. 

They  were  now  joined  by  two  or  three  more 
of  the  swells,  who  had  been  showing  themselves 
off  in  another  street,  and  sauntered  down  to  a 
secluded  spot  beside  the  river,  where  there  was 
no  likelihood  of  their  being  seen  by  any  of  the 
masters.  Charlie  took  a  cigar,  and  pretended 
to  smoke  it,  but  he  blew  all  the  smoke  out  of 
his  mouth  always,  without  swallowing  it,  for  he 
was  terribly  afraid  of  being  sick,  remembering 


108  OUDENDALE: 

the  unhappy  end  of  a  previous  attempt  of  his 
to  smoke  a  pipe. 

"  What  do  you  say  to  go  and  have  a  game 
at  billiards,"  remarked  Browne.  "  WiU  you, 
Campion  ?  " 

"  Where  could  you  play  ?  "  asked  Charlie. 

"  Oh,  we'll  easily  find  a  table  if  you'll  have  a 
game." 

"  I  don't  care  about  it,"  said  Charlie,  evasively. 

"  It's  the  jolliest  game  possible,"  drawled 
Mauricodle.     "  Isn't  it  Browne  ?  " 

"  Of  course  it  is.  Won't  you  have  a  game, 
Campion?  We'll  take  you  to  a  place  where 
we  always  go  to  play." 

"  And  we'll  send  our  compliments  to  Dr. 
Eden,  and  ask  him  to  join  the  game,"  said 
Harrison,  at  which  Mauricodle  and  Browne 
began  to  laugh. 

"  I'll  tell  you  a  good  joke,"  Mauricodle  said. 
"The  last  time  my  governor  was  here,  Eden 
told  him  that  he  felt  confident  there  was  no 
such  thing  as  a  billiard-table  in  the  town,  or  if 
there  were,  he  knew  that  he  could  trust  to  our 
honor  not  to  go  near  it.     I  very  nearly  burst 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY   LIFE.  109 

out  laughing.  You  see  the  governor  had  no- 
ticed how  well  I  played,  and  he  wondered 
where  I  got  the  practice." 

"  What  a  joke ! "  exclaimed  the  swells  in 
chorus. 

"  I  must  say  I  never  saw  such  neat  cannons 
as  you  make  sometimes,  Mauricodle,"  remarked 
Browne. 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?  "  said  Mauricodle,  highly 
gratified.  "  I  can't  help  laughing,  though, 
whenever  I  think  of  Eden's  simplicity.  But 
Eden's  a  jolly  old  fellow,  as  jolly  as  any  head 
master  I  ever  heard  of." 

"  Just  fancy  if  Old  Starchey  were  the  Master," 
said  one  fellow. 

"  The  old  beast !  I  should  cut  Oudendale  if 
he  were." 

"  One  thing  I  like  about  Eden  is,  that  he 
always  treats  us  like  gentlemen,  and  trusts  to 
our  honor,"  said  Browne.  "  Now  Old  Starchey 
is  as  suspicious  as  if  we  were  all  cads.  The 
other  day  when  I  showed  up  my  essay,  he  hinted 
pretty  broadly  tliat  he  thought  I  had  copied  a 
lot  of  it  from   Miller's,  because  they  were   so 


110  OUDEN-DALE: 

like.  Now  I  never  saw  Miller's  essay,  and  I 
told  him  so,  and  I  think  it  was  a  horrid  insult 
to  me  to  doubt  my  word.  Hang  it,  a  fellow 
has  no  right  to  doubt  a  gentleman's  honor." 

"  Of  course  not,"  said  Harrison. 

"  But  even  though  Starchey  is  so  suspicious, 
he's  very  easily  taken  in,"  remarked  one  fellow. 

"  I'll  tell  you  a  capital  trick  I  played  on  him 
the  other  day,"  said  Harrison,  chuckling.  "Do 
you  remember  that  map  of  Europe  which  he 
gave  us  to  draw  ?  Well,  I  got  a  sheet  of  thin 
paper  and  laid  it  on  the  atlas,  and  traced  it  off. 
Starchey  never  twigged,  and  gave  me  no  end  of 
marks  for  it." 

"  I  never  thought  of  that,"  exclaimed  Browne, 
regretfully.     "  I  did  mine  so  horribly  ill,  too." 

"  Look !  Look   at  the  pheasants,"  suddenly 
exclaimed  Charlie,  as  two  pheasants  rose  in  a 
cornfield  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  took  a 
short  flight,  and  disappeared  into  a  wood  close 

by- 

"  That  wood  must  be  swarming  with  pheas- 
ants," said  Harrison.  "  We'll  get  a  splendid 
haul  of  eggs  out  of  it  next  year." 


A   TALE  OF   SCHOOLBOY   LIFE.  Ill 

"  What  will  you  do  with  them  ?  "  asked  Charlie, 
innocently. 

"  Eat  them,  of  course.  We'll  have  jolly  sup- 
pers on  half-holiday  nights,  when  there's  no 
preparation ;  and  then  we  give  a  small  cad 
sixpence  to  bring  us  a  pocket  full  of  pheasants' 
eggs.     They  are  delicious." 

"  My  father  says  that  before  long  there  will 
be  no  more  pheasants  left  in  the  country,"  said 
a  very  flashily-dressed  boy  called  Jarley,  who 
aspired  to  be  considered  a  sporting  character. 
"  The  cads  round  about  us  are  the  most  fearful 
poachers  you  ever  saw,  though  there's  scarcely 
a  week  passes  but  some  of  them  are  sent  to  jail 
for  stealing  eggs  or  killing  game." 

"  What  a  horrid  lot  they  must  be,"  said 
Mauricodle.  "  The  people  near  us  are  just  as 
bad ;  but  then  we  keep  a  tremendous  lot  of 
keepers,  who  watch  all  the  nests,  and  keep 
fellows  out  of  the  grounds.  I  would  like  to  see 
a  fellow  try  to  bone  eggs  out  of  our  grounds ; 
he'd  find  himself  caught  pretty  soon  and  sent 
to  prison." 

"  And  serve  him  right  too,"  said  Browne,  "  I 


112  OUDENDALE: 

think  poaching  ought  to  be  very  severely  pun- 
ished ;  for  if  a  fellow's  a  poacher  he's  capable 
of  doing  anything." 

This  sentiment  greatly  pleased  the  aristocratic 
assemblage,  except  Charlie,  who  was  puzzling 
his  brains  to  find  out  why  a  boy  who  stole 
pheasants'  eggs  was  to  be  "  severely  punished," 
and  "  capable  of  doing  anything,"  while  the 
young  gentlemen  who  gave  him  sixpence  to  do 
it,  were  to  testify  their  disapproval  of  his  crime 
in  such  an  edifying  manner. 

After  a  while  they  rose,  and  throwing  away 
their  cigars,  began  to  saunter  back  through  the 
town. 

Now  Mauricodle  was  going  to  tea  with  Mrs. 
Eden  that  evening,  and  he  had  determined  to 
appear  in  a  fine  new  suit  of  clothes  ;  for  this 
young  nobleman  was  remarkably  vain  about  his 
personal  appearance.  Passing  the  tailor's,  he 
called  in  to  ask  if  his  suit  were  ready.  It  was 
quite  ready,  but  the  tailor  could  not  possibly 
spare  a  man  to  take  it  up  to  the  college  till 
seven  o'clock,  by  which  time  it  would  be  too  late. 

"  What  a  bore  !  "  drawled  his  lordship.     "  I 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  113 

really  can't  walk  through  the  town  with  a  great 
parcel  like  this  under  my  arm.  Couldn't  wo  get 
a  porter  or  some  fellow  to  carry  it  up  ?  " 

"  Here  ;  we'll  give  it  to  Holston  and  White," 
said  Browne,  as  he  saw  two  small,  lower  school- 
boys hurrying  past  in  the  street.  "  Hallo ! 
Stop,  there." 

The  two  little  boys  stopped,  and  came  up  to 
the  shop  door. 

"  What  do  you  want,  Browne  ?  " 

"  One  of  you  two  raust  carry  up  a  parcel  to 
the  college  for  us." 

"  But  I  am  in  a  fearful  hurry,"  remonstrated 
White  ;  "  I  have  an  impo'  to  write  before  tea, 
and  I  haven't  a  minute  to  spare." 

"  Why  can't  you  carry  your  parcels  your- 
selves ?  "  added  Holston,  more  boldly. 

"  Hold  your  tongues,  you  little  fools.  If  you 
don't  carry  the  parcel,  without  saying  another 
word  about  it,  you'll  get  a  good  thrashing.'* 

Holston  and  White  did  not  dare  in  the  face 
of  his  threat  to  refuse ;  and  when  the  parcel 
was  made  up  it  was  given  them  to  carry,  and 
they  were  made  to  walk  behind  the  rest. 
8 


114  OUDENDALE: 

"It's  good  for  little  boys  to  work  for  their 
superiors,"  Harrison  remarked. 

Before  the  party  reached  the  college  gates, 
Clarke  came  running  out  of  the  field  in  a  great 
state  of  excitement. 

"  We're  fixing  up  the  goal  posts  for  football, 
and  we  want  two  or  three  more  fellows  to  help. 
Harrison,  Campion,  and  Browne,  come  along." 

"  All  right,"  said  Charlie,  willingly. 

"  Don't  you  wish  you  may  get  it,"  cried 
Harrison. 

"  Come  along,  or  I'll  make  you,"  said  Clarke, 
roughly  seizing  Browne  by  the  arm. 

"  Leave  me  alone,  you  bully." 

"  Who's  buUjdng  you  ?  "  asked  Clarke. 

"  You  are.  It's  bullying  to  make  fellows  go 
anywhere  against  their  will." 

"Stuff!  " 

"  What  do  you  call  making  us  carry  your 
parcel,"  cried  little  Holston ;  "  isn't  that  bul- 
lying ?  See,  Clarke,  they  made  us  carry  this 
from  the  town  behind  them,  when  we  wanted 
to  get  home  as  fast  we  could." 

"  More   fools  you  to  do  it,  then.      But  you 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  115 

fellows  must  come,  or  we'll  take  you  by  force. 
Cholmondeley  sent  me   to  get  fellows  to   help 

us:: 

And  another  monitor  coming  up  just  then, 
Harrison,  Browne,  and  Jarley  were  forced  to 
go  to  the  field  and  help,  though  much  against 
their  will,  and  Harrison  had  the  additional 
pleasure  of  hearing  little  Holston  shouting  out 
the  remark  which  he  himself  had  made  a  few 
minutes  before  — 

"It's  good  for  little  boys  to  work  for  their 
superiors." 

However,  these  unwilling  recruits  were  found 
to  be  so  sulky  and  so  useless  that  they  were 
presently  dismissed  with  a  kick,  to  their  great 
wrath  and  indignation. 

The  custom  of  fagging  was  not  recognized  at 
Oudendale,  but  it  was  allowable  for  the  sixth- 
form  to  press  any  lower  or  middle  schoolboys 
into  service  connected  with  cricket  or  football 
for  not  more  than  one  hour.  Dr.  Eden  thought 
that  it  was  good  for  boys  to  learn  to  do  things 
for  themselves,  and  did  not  permit  the  cricket 
and  football  clubs  to  employ  any  of  those  paid 


116  OUDENDALE. 

men  who  are  now  such  common  nuisances  in 
most  of  our  public  schools ;  so  that  Clarke  was 
not  unjustly  demanding  assistance  from  our 
friends  the  swells. 

Though  there  may  be  much  that  is  objec- 
tionable in  fagging,  as  practised  at  some  schools, 
it  is  no  great  hardship  to  make  younger  boys 
work  for  an  hour  in  the  cricket  field  for  the 
first  eleven  or  the  twenty.  English  boys  of 
the  present  day  are  getting  too  lazy  and  lux- 
urious. They  seem  not  to  be  able  to  play 
cricket  without  fine  dresses,  tents,  pavilions, 
professionals,  and  many  other  conveniences 
which  their  predecessors  never  dreamed  of. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


MISCHIEF. 


*'  No  friend's  a  friend  till  he  shall  prove  a  friend." 

Beaumont  and  Fletcher. 

We  have  seen  that  Charlie  had  a  liking  for 
Lurn  ;  and  when  he  had  been  two  or  three 
months  at  Oudendale,  an  incident  happened 
which  ripened  this  liking  into  a  close  friendship. 

The  Christmas  holidays  had  come  at  last, 
and  on  the  evening  before  the  breaking-np  day, 
there  was  as  usual  a  great  hubbub  and  uproar 
throughout  the  college,  the  boys  being  of  course 
in  a  high  state  of  excitement,  and  the  discipline 
and  rules  of  the  college  being  relaxed  to  a 
certain  extent. 

Just  as  it  was  growing  dark,  Charlie  and 
Gordon  were  standing  near  the  door  of  the 
lower  schoolroom,  talking  over  the  past  half, 
the   holidays,   and  other   subjects   of  interest. 


118  OUDENDALE: 

Close  to  tliem,  two  or  three  small  third-form 
boys  were  testifying  their  delight  at  the  ap- 
proach of  the  holidays  by  dancing  and  jumping 
about  the  steps  of  the  lower  schoolroom,  while 
they  sung  this  sublime  chorus  : 

"  No  more  Latin,  no  more  Greek, 
No  more  cane  to  make  me  squeak." 

But  this  performance  was  brought  to  a  sud- 
den end  by  the  appearance  of  Mr.  Horsley, 
who  walked  rapidly  by,  nodding  as  the  boys  all 
touched  their  hats,  and  disappeared  into  the  hall. 

"  There  goes  old  Horsley,"  said  Gordon. 
"  Look  at  these  little  fools  making  faces  behind^ 
his  back.  I  suppose  they're  about  as  fond  of 
him  as  anybody  else  is." 

"Oh,  he's  not  a  bad  sort  of  a  fellow,  Horsley, 
though  he  is  so  waxy." 

"  He  hates  us  all  equally,  at  all  events,  which 
is  better  than  favoring,"  said  Gordon,  laughing. 

"  You  mean  he  canes  us  all  equally,  I  sup- 


"  Well,  canes  or  hates.  They  both  come  to 
the  same  thing,  don't  they  ?  But  after  all, 
Campion,  I  agree  with  you  that  he  is  not  such 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  119 

a  bad  fellow,  though  he  does  allow  his  angry 
passions  to  rise  just  rather  too  often." 

"  So  does  another  friend  of  mine,"  remarked 
Charlie. 

"  You  mean  me,  I  suppose.  Well,  do  you 
know,  Campion,  I  often  think  whether  I  shall 
be  as  bad  as  Mr.  Horsley  when  I  grow  up.  I 
know  I  am  rather  inclined  to  lose  my  temper, 
and,  upon  my  honor,  I  must  try  to  conquer  it. 
I  wish  I  were  like  you,  for  I'm  sure  I  never  see 
you  in  a  wax." 

"  You  had  better  not  try  to  put  me  in  one," 
laughed  Charlie.  "  I'm  a  terrible  fellow  when 
my  blood  is  up,"  and  here  he  seized  Gordon  by 
the  collar,  and  began  to  mimmic  Mr.  Horsley  in 
a  rage,  caning  a  boy. 

In  the  meantime,  the  small  boys  had  also 
been  talking  about  Mr.  Horsley. 

"  I  should  like  to  pay  old  Horsley  out,"  said 
one  of  them,  when  he  was  fairly  beyond  hear- 
ing.    "  He's  a  waxy  old  fool." 

"  What  do  you  say  to  play  him  some  trick  ?  " 
proposed  another.  "  The  fellows  will  be  all 
away,  and  he  ivon't  find  out  who  did  it." 


120  OUDENDALE: 

"Oh,  capital !  Let  us  play  him  some  trick. 
What  shall  it  be  ?  " 

"  Break  the  windows  of  his  room." 

"  Oh,  shut  up,  Smith.  That's  no  fun  at  all, 
and  we  would  be  safe  to  be  found  out." 

"  Catch  a  mouse  and  put  it  in  his  desk," 
suggested  another, 

"  Bosh  1  How  could  we  catch  a  mouse  ? 
That  won't  do  at  all,  either." 

"  Well,  then,  Howard,  can't  you  think  of 
something  yourself  ?  " 

"  I  Yote  to  put  a  lot  of  gravel  in  his  bed, 
after  prayers." 

"  The  very  thing  !  Will  you  do  it,  Howard  ?  " 

"  No,  I  thank  you.  I  proposed  it ;  some  other 
fellow  ought  to  do  it.     I  think  Smith  ought  to." 

"  But  I  don't,"  said  Smith.  "  It  needs  a 
very  quiet  and  small  fellow,  like  Jackson,  who 
could  creep  in  without  being  found  out." 

"  I'm  not  going  to  do  it,"  said  Jackson.  "  It 
must  be  a  fellow  who  sleeps  on  that  side,  be- 
cause he  can  bolt  away  to  his  own  room  imme- 
diately.    Williams  is  the  fellow,  I  think." 

"  No,  I'm  not,"  said  Williams  energetically. 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY   LIFE.  121 

"  My  opinion  is,  that  it  needs  a  fellow  with  all 
the  Georgics  ready  written  out,  and  no  end  of 
towels  on  underneath  his  jacket." 

"  I  say,"  remarked  Howard,  "  there's  Gor- 
don.    I  vote  we  get  him  to  do  it." 

"  All  right.     Come  on  and  ask  him." 

"  Hallo  !  what  do  you  shrimps  want  ?  "  cried 
Gordon,  seeing  them  approaching  him  and 
Lurn. 

"  I  say,  Gordon,  if  we  get  you  a  lot  of  gravel, 
will  you  put  it  in  old  Horsley's  bed  ?  It  will 
be  a  splendid  lark."    • 

"  You're  a  nice  set  of  cool  young  gentlemen," 
cried  Gordon,  rather  indignantly.  "  Do  you 
think  fourth-form  fellows  are  going  to  do  all 
your  dirty  work  for  you  ?  " 

"  Why  do  you  want  to  put  gravel  in  old 
Horsley's  bed  ?  "  asked  Charlie. 

"  Because  he's  a  waxy  old  fool.  He  gave 
Howard  and  Jackson  a  most  fearful  licking 
yesterday,  because  —  " 

"  Oh,  I  know  all  about  it,"  said  Charlie. 
"  We  heard  you  howling  in  our  schoolroom  on 
the  other  side  of  the  quad." 


122  0UDEM)ALE: 

"  No  you  didn't,"  cried  Howard,  indignantly. 
"I  never  sung  out  at  all.    Jackson  did,  though." 

"0  Howard,  what  a  —  "  Jackson  began  to 
exclaim. 

"  Shut  up,  and  be  off  with  you,"  interrupted 
Gordon.  "  If  Horsley  licked  you  all  day  long, 
you  wouldn't  get  half  as  much  as  you  deserve." 

"He  broke  our  rods  the  other  day  —  Effing- 
ham's and  mine,"  said  Howard,  bringing  for- 
ward another  accusation  against  Mr.  Horsley. 
"  We  were  fishing  in  the  Ouden,  and  he  came 
and  said  Ave  weren't  to  fish  except  on  half-holi- 
days ;  so  he  broke  our  rods  right  across.  They 
are  quite  spoiled." 

"If  I  had  been  Mr.  Horsley,"  said  Gordon, 
"  I  would  have  spared  the  rods,  and  spoiled  the 
children.  Why  don't  you  small  boys  laugh 
when  I  make  a  joke  ?  I  never  saw  such  thick- 
headed animals.  Come  on.  Campion,  and  help 
me  to  put  up  my  things  now  to  be  ready  for 
to-morrow,  and  then  I  will  help  you." 

"  All  serene,"  replied  Charlie  ;  and  the  two 
boys  strolled  across  the  quadrangle  towards  the 
West  House,  where  they  both  slept. 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  123 

"  What  a  Immbug  Gordon  is  ! "  exclaimed 
Howard.  *' Oh,  I  say,  here's  Lnrn.  I'll  bet 
he'll  do  it  in  a  minute,  if  we  ask  him." 

Lurn  was  lounging  along  the  cloisters  which 
ran  all  round  the  quadrangle,  and  had  just 
then  reached  the  spot  where  this  conversation 
was  taking  place.  He  was  immediately  accosted 
by  a  general  shout. 

"  Are  you  game  for  a  real  lark,  Lurn  ?  We 
have  thought  of  such  a  splendid  trick." 

*'What  is  it?  Are  you  going  to  burn  the 
college  down,  or  to  set  the  Thames  on  fire,  or 
anything  equally  wonderful  ?  " 

Howard  then  revealed  their  plot  to  Lurn, 
with  many  chuckles,  and  asked  him  to  carry 
it  out.  Lurn,  who  was  not  at  all  malicious, 
but  who  was  but  too  fond  of  all  sorts  of  mis- 
chief, and,  besides,  was  accustomed  to  regard 
the  masters  as  his  natural  enemies,  whom  it 
was  perfectly  fair  to  annoy  in  any  possible  way, 
was  easily  persuaded  to  consent,  and  indeed 
improved  upon  the  original  scheme,  by  sug- 
gesting that  one  or  two  nettle-leaves  might  be 
substituted  for  gravel. 


124  OUDENDALE: 

"  Oh,  capital !  "  shouted'  the  conspirators, 
half  afraid  and  half  delighted  at  the  boldness 
of  this  proposal ;  and,  at  Lurn's  suggestion, 
they  all  started  off  to  look  for  some  nettles  by 
the  bank  of  the  Ouden,  which  flows  only  a  few 
hundred  yards  from  the  college  gates. 

There  was  no  preparation  that  night,  but  at 
nine  o'clock  prayers  were  read  as  usual.  As 
the  boys  were  leaving  the  hall.  Dr.  Eden  made 
a  sign  to  one  or  two  boys,  Charlie  among  them, 
to  stay  and  speak  to  him.  Charlie  obeyed, 
wondering  whether  he  was  going  to  be  scolded 
by  the  Master,  for  he  was  conscious  that  he 
might  have  behaved  better  during  his  first  half 
at  Oudendale.  But  Dr.  Eden  had  too  much 
tact  to  scold  him.  He  knew  that  Charlie  had 
given  a  good  deal  of  trouble  to  his  masters, 
and  that  he  had  some  very  undesirable  friends  ; 
but  he  said  nothing  of  this,  and  only  asked  him 
how  he  liked  the  school,  and  hoped  he  did  not 
find  the  work  too  difficult,  in  such  a  kind,  pleas- 
ant way,  that  Charlie  felt  at  once  relieved,  and 
told  him,  what  was  indeed  the  truth,  that  he 
liked  Oudendale  very  much,  and  that  he  did 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY   LIFE.  125 

not  find  his  lessons  too  difficult.  Dr.  Eden 
shook  hands  with  him,  and  turned  to  some 
other  boys,  who  were  also  new  comers  that  last 
half.  Charlie  then  said  good-by  to  his  cousin, 
Mr.  Campion,  who  desired  to  be  remembered 
to  his  uncle,  and  then  he  left  the  hall,  and  ran 
off  to  his  own  bedroom  in  the  West  House,  in  a 
high  state  of  spirits  and  good  humor. 

On  his  way  he  had  to  pass  through  the  pas- 
sage in  which  Mr.  Horsley's  rooms  were,  and 
just  as  he  entered  this,  Lurn  darted  out  of  the 
bedroom,  and,  without  observing  him,  ran  hur- 
riedly up  the  stairs. 

"  Lurn  !  in  Mr.  Horsley's  room  !  "  thought 
Charlie,  in  amazement,  stopping  for  a  moment. 
''  I  do  believe  these  little  fellows  have  got  him 
to  play  some  trick  on  Horsley.  It's  a  regular 
shame.  I  have  a  good  mind  to  go  in  and  see 
if  there  is  anything  in  his  bed.  Should  I,  or 
should  I  not  ?  " 

For  a  moment  he  stood  at  the  door  deliber- 
ating, but  the  sound  of  approaching  footsteps 
brought  him  to  a  resolution. 

"I  will  do  it,"  he  said  to  himself;  and  going 


126  OUDENDALE: 

into  Mr.  Horsley's  bedroom,  lie  quickly  lifted 
up  the  bedclothes,  and  saw  some  nettle  leaves 
lying  on  the  bed. 

"  What  a  shame  !  "  he  thought,  as  he  began 
to  pick  up  the  leaves  ;  but  at  that  moment  a 
hand  was  laid  heavily  upon  his  shoulder. 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  this  ? "  sharply 
asked  Mr.  Horsley,  who  had  just  entered  the 
room.  Charlie  gave  a  great  start,  and  let  fall 
the  nettles,  which  stung  him  the  moment  he 
ceased  to  hold  them  tightly. 

"  Ah !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Horsley,  in  a  sharp, 
disagreeable  voice,  which  was  with  him  always 
the  precursor  of  a  burst  of  passion.  "  I  under- 
stand it  all.  So  you  were  going  to  play  me  a 
trick,  were  you  ? " 

"  I  didn't  —  I  mean  —  it  wasn't  me.  Another 
fellow  put  these  into  your  bed,  and  I  was  taking 
them  out." 

"  Who  was  this  other  fellow  ?  "  asked  Mr. 
Horsley,  in  an  angrier  tone. 

Charlie  grew  still  redder,  and  was  silent,  for 
though  he  felt  that  he  was  in  an  awkward 
scrape,  he  was  resolved  not  to  tell  upon  Lurn. 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  127 

In  the  meantime,  no  sooner  had  Lurn  reached 
the  top  of  the  stairs  than  his  conscience  smote 
him  for  what  he  had  done,  and  after  a  minute's 
dehberation,  he  resolved  to  return  and  take  the 
nettles  out  again. 

"  Don't  add  to  your  fault  by  lying  to  hide  it," 
cried  Mr.  Horsley,  now  quite  furious  with  rage. 
"  This  is  a  base,  mean,  cowardly,  brutal  insult, 
and  I  will  punish  you  for  it  in  a  way  you  will 
never  forget." 

So  saying,  he  snatched  up  his  walking-stick, 
which  lay  close  by,  and  struck  Charlie  violently 
across  the  back  with  it.  His  arm  was  raised  to 
repeat  the  blow,  when  Lurn,  with  a  bewildered 
look  on  his  face,  rushed  into  the  room,  crying : 

"  Stop,  stop,  sir.  I  did  it.  I  put  the  nettles 
into  your  bed.  Campion  had  nothing  to  do 
with  it.  I  suppose  he  came  into  your  room  to 
take  them  out." 

Mr.  Horsley  dropped  his  arm,  and  looked  at 
the  boys  with  a  look  both  of  rage  and  astonish- 
ment. 

"  What  good  would  you  gain  by  offering  mo 
this  cowardly  insult  ? "  he  cried,  hoarsely. 


128  OUDEKDALE: 

Lurn  looked  on  the  ground,  and  made  no 
answer.  But  he  and  Charlie  fully  expected 
that  Mr.  Horsley's  wrath  would  now  be  vented 
on  him  ;  but,  to  their  surprise,  Mr.  Horsley 
dropped  the  stick,  and  said,  in  a  calm,  dignified 
manner : 

"  You  may  both  go  now.  Campion,  I  am 
much  obliged  to  you  for  your  kindness  in  trying 
to  prevent  me  this  annoyance,  and  I  am  sorry 
I  unjustly  suspected  you.  We  will  say  no  more 
about  it." 

It  w^as  Lurn's  turn  to  grow  confused  now, 
and  to  stammer  :  "But  —  I  am  really  sorry  —  I 
was  coming  back  to  take  them  out  —  I  won't  do 
it  again  —  it  was  a  regular  shame  of  me." 

"Enough,"  said  Mr.  Horsley.  "I  should 
hope  that  it  was  more  from  thoughtlessness  than 
from  maliciousness  that  you  did  this.  At  all 
events,  I  feel  that  I  was  as  much  to  blame  as 
any  one  in  losing  my  temper,  and  unless  you 
mention  it  yourselves,  no  one  else  need  know 
anything  about  it.  However,  I  should  hope 
that  such  a  thing  would  not  be  repeated  —  for 
your  own  sakes,  as  well  as  mine." 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  129 

"  Upon  my  honor,  I  never  will  do  such  a 
thing  again,"  cried  Liirn. 

'The  boys  then  left  the  room,  quite  bewildered 
by  what  happened,  and  especially  by  the  ex- 
traordinary change  which  had  come  over  Mr. 
Horsley.  That  gentleman,  the  moment  the 
door  was  shut,  threw  himself  down  on  a  chair 
and  burst  into  tears.  But  he  soon  restrained 
himself,  and  murmured  : 

"  0  Lord,  I  thank  thee  for  enabling  me 
to  restrain  my  passion  just  now  before  these 
boys.  Help  me  to  be  kinder  and  gentler,  and 
make  me  more  liked  by  every  one.  I  know 
that  I  have  a  hasty  and  disagreeable  temper, 
but  do  thou  help  me  to  overcome  it." 

If  all  the  boys  at  Oudendale  could  have  heard 
this  prayer,  perhaps  they  might  have  thought 
better  of  Mr.  Horsley  than  they  did. 

In  the  meantime,  Lurn  and  Charlie  were 
going  back  to  the  passage  in  which  their  respec- 
tive bedrooms  were. 

"  I  never  will  be  such  a  fool  again ;  I  never 
will,"  energetically  protested  Lurn.  ^'  I  say, 
Campion,  you're  a  jolly  fellow  for  not  telling  on 


130  OUDENDALE: 

me  when  you  were  caught,"  and  Lurn  looked 
at  Charlie  with  an  admiration  which  no  words  of 
a  schoolboy's  vocabulary  can  express. 

Charlie  said  nothing.  English  boys  are  in 
general  very  undemonstrative,  and  are  not  fond 
of  expressing  their  feelings  by  fine  words  ;  but 
these  two  perfectly  understood  each  other's 
thoughts,  and  from  that  moment  they  were 
sworn  friends. 

"  What  are  you  two  fellows  doing  out  of 
yoilr  rooms  ? "  cried  Henrys,  who  passed  by  at 
that  moment,  on  his  way  to  a  private  supper- 
party,  which  some  of  the  monitors,  taking  ad- 
vantage of  the  trust  which  was  placed  in  them, 
were  going  to  have  in  a  study,  unknown  to  the 
masters,  and,  it  may  be  added,  to  Cholmondeley. 

Lurn  and  Charlie  hurried  off  to  their  rooms 
at  ©nee,  for  they  knew  that  Henrys,  if  disobeyed, 
would  not  scruple  to  use  stronger  and  more 
convincing  arguments.  This  young  gentleman 
was  very  zealous  in  making  the  smaller  boys 
obey  the  rules  of  the  school  by  the  force  of 
precept  and  by  coercion,  but  it  is  to  be  wished 
that  he  also  had  added  that  of  example.     His 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  131 

is  not   by  any  means   a  singular   case   among 
monitors. 

The  boys  kept  their  own  counsel  about  what 
had  happened,  and  so  did  Mr.  Horsley,  who, 
it  was  noticed,  did  not  lose  his  temper  so  often 
as  usual  next  half.  Lurn  put  off  his  fellow- 
conspirators  when  they  asked  him  about  the 
result  of  the  plot,  by  talking  a  lot  of  nonsense, 
and  telling  them  to  be  quiet,  and  mind  their 
own  business. 

"  But  did  you  not  put  them  in  his  bed  ?  " 
asked  Howard. 

"  Ask  no  questions  and  you  will  be  told  no 
lies,"  said  Lurn.  "  That  was  a  stupid  trick, 
and  you  had  better  not  try  to  get  me  to  have 
anything  to  do  with  your  humbug  again." 

This  was  all  they  could  get  out  of  him ;  so, 
till  this  day,  only  three  people  have  ever  known 
what  happened  in  Mr.  Horsley' s  bedroom  on 
the  night  before  the  Christmas  holidays  of 
185—. 


CHAPTER  X. 

DAMON  AND  PHINTHIAS. 

"Amicitia  :  qua  quidem  haud  sciam,  excepta  sapientia,  nihil 
melius  homini  sit  a  Diis  immortalibus  datum." 

Cicero. 

Nothing  very  memorable  occurred  during 
Charlie's  Christmas  holidays.  His  uncle  and 
aunt  and  cousins  were  still  very  stiff  and  very 
kind,  and  Miss  Woodville  was  as  much  like  a 
handbook  of  etiquette  as  ever.  Primrose  Hill 
was  certainly  not  the  place  where  a  boy  would 
have  liked  to  spend  his  holidays.  However,  it 
was  very  hard  frost  this  winter,  and  Charlie 
got  a  pair  of  skates,  and  occupied  himself  by 
learning  to  skate.  Then  he  and  Lurn,  as  they 
had  previously  agreed,  kept  up  a  correspond- 
ence together ;  but  their  letters  were  too  brief 
and  uninteresting  to  be  given  here.  Lurn  told 
Charlie  that  he  wished  he  could  have  asked 
him  to  his  father's  house,  but  could  not  on 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  133 

account  of  his  sister's  illness.  Perhaps  it  was 
just  as  well  for  their  newly-fledged  friendship 
that  this  visit  did  not  take  place  ;  for  as  it  is 
quite  possible  to  have  too  much  of  a  good  thing, 
so  such  friendships  are  often  spoiled  by  being 
too  much  overdone  at  first.  Damon  and  Phin- 
thias  may  be  very  loving  when  they  only  see  one 
another  occasionally  ;  but  let  Damon  go  and  stay 
with  Phinthias  for  a  fortnight,  they  will  most 
likely  soon  tire  of  too  much  of  one  another's 
society,  and  quarrel  before  the  fortnight  is  over. 
The  best  and  most  enduring  friendships  are 
those  which  spring  up  and  ripen  by  degrees, 
and  under  not  too  favorable  circumstances  ;  in 
which  respect  friendship  is  like  corn  —  too  much 
sun  being  sometimes  as  bad  for  it  as  too  little. 

In  due  time  the  holidays  came  to  an  end, 
and  Charlie,  nothing  loth,  returned  to  Ouden- 
dale.  Lurn  and  he  were  nearly  always  together 
now,  and  already  began  to  plan  out  walks  which 
they  should  take  when  the  season  had  advanced 
a  little.  Those  only  who  have  experienced  the 
happiness  of  a  real  schoolboy  friendship  will 
understand  the  pleasure  which  they  took  in 


134  OUDENDALE : 

each  other's  society.  They  learned  their  lessons 
together,  they  played  together,  they  walked 
together,  and  the  whole  truth  would  not  be 
told  if  it  were  not  mentioned  that  they  some- 
tbnes  got  into  scrapes  together. 

Lurn  was  not  by  any  means  a  badly-disposed 

« 

boy,  though  he  was  certainly  rather  idle  and 
mischievous.  In  general  he  was  always  laugh- 
ing, playing  tricks,  or  talking  nonsense  ;  but 
sometimes  he  would  speak  in  a  sober,  sensible 
way,  which  those  who  were  acquainted  only 
with  the  surface  of  his  character  would  not 
have  expected  from  him.  One  day,  walking 
with  Charlie,  he  hinted  that  he  did  not  like  his 
intimacy  witli  Clement.  The  word  "  intimacy  " 
is  here  used  designedly,  for  this  connection 
couM  scarcely  be  called  a  friendship ;  however, 
it  is  not  to  be  understood  that  Lurn  was  so 
particular  in  his  language.  His  expression  was 
that,  in  his  opinion,  Charlie  was  "  too  thick" 
with  Clement.  Charlie,  whom  we  know  to  have 
been  a  little  wilful,  was  not  very  well  pleased 
with  this  piece  of  advice. 

"Why  should   I  cut  Clement?"   he  asked, 
rather  indignantly. 


A  TALE   OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  135 

"  Well,  hang  it,  I  don't  know  exactly  how  to 
say  what  I  mean.  You  know,  I  don't  set  up 
for  being  a  very  good  and  well-behaved  fellow. 
I  have  no  objections  to  a  bit  of  fun  sometimes 

—  humbugging  the  masters,  and  all  that  sort  of 
thing;  but  when  a  fellow  goes  on  like  Clement, 
going  out  to  public  houses  and  getting  screwed, 
and  —  and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  I  think  that's 
not  the  correct  thing  —  not  right :  you  know 
what  I  mean.  Clement  will  get  expelled  some 
of  these  days  if  he  doesn't  look  out." 

''  But  you  don't  mean  to  say  I  would  go  and 

get  screwed.   I  needn't  do  whatever  Clem  does." 

"  Of  course  you  needn't,  unless  ygu  like ;  but 

—  but  —  don't  you  be  too  sure.  At  all  events, 
I  wouldn't  have  much  to  do  with  Clement." 

"  Well,  I'm  sure  I  haven't  much  to  do  Tfith 
him.  I  don't  care  for  him  a  bit;  but  if  he 
chooses  to  make  friends  with  me,  I'm  not  going 
to  cut  him.  I  believe  the  real  truth  of  all  this 
is,  that  you  are  jealous  of  him." 

"  No,  I'm  not,  upon  my  honor,"  protested 
Lurn.  "  I  was  only  advising  you  ;  but  I  won't 
say  another  word  about  it." 


136  OUDENDALE: 

"  All  right,"  said  Charlie,  laughing.  "  I  was 
only  humbugging  when  I  said  you  were  jealous. 
I  don't  care  for  Clem  a  button ;  and  as  for  you, 
I  hate  you  like  poison." 

"  And  I  hate  you  like  castor  oil,"  laughed 
Lurn,  in  the  same  bantering  style  ;  and  nothing 
more  passed  between  them  on  the  subject. 

Now  Lurn  had  particular  reasons  for  giving 
this  advice  to  Charlie,  though  he  did  not  tell 
him  them.  That  morning  he  had  accidentally 
heard  part  of  a  conversation  between  Clement 
and  a  cousin  of  his  own,  called  Handyside,  a 
fifth-form  fellow,  who  was  very  intimate  with 
Clement.      , 

"  Bother  take  him ;  I  can't  make  out  what  you 
see  to  like  in  such  a  soft  fool,"  Handyside  said. 

"il  can  tell  you  he  is  not  so  soft  as  you 
think,"  replied  Clement.  "  He  has  a  good  deal 
of  pluck  in  him." 

"  So  has  that  religious  fool,  Cholmondeley, 
and  I  don't  think  he  and  you  are  very  thick 
together." 

"  Well,  I  don't  know  how  it  is,  but  there's 
something  about  that  fellow  I  can't  help  liking 
him  for." 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  137 

Haiidyside  growled  out  an  oath,  which  can- 
not be  written  down  in  these  pages. 

''Even  if  he  is  rather  soft,"  continued  Clem- 
ent, "  we  can  improve  him." 

"  Will  you  ?  "  cried  the  other,  ironically. 

"I'll  bet  you  anything  you  like,  that  if  we 
can  get  him  out  for  a  walk  on  Wednesday 
afternoon,  we'll  make  him  screwed.  I'll  give 
you  two  to  one  on  it." 

"  Done  !  "  cried  Handyside.  "  Five  shillings 
to  half-a-crown  that  we  make  Campion  screwed 
on  Wednesday  afternoon." 

When  he  heard  this,  Lurn  started,  and  moved 
off.  This  conversation  had  been  held  in  a  cor- 
ner of  the  fourth-form  schoolroom,  and  Lurn 
had  heard  a  great  part  of  it  while  looking  about 
among  the  benches  for  a  book  which  he  had 
lost,  without  taking  any  particular  notice  of  it. 
But  whenever  Charlie's  name  was  mentioned, 
he  understood  the  meaning  of  it  all,  and  im- 
mediately left  the  room  to  avoid  hearing  any 
more  ;  for  Lurn  was  very  honorable,  in  so  far  as 
his  school-fellows  were  concerned  at  least. 

We  see,  then,  that  Lurn  had  a  good  reason 


138  OUDENDALE: 

for  trying  to  warn  Charlie  ;  but  not  finding  his 
hints  upon  the  subject  well  received,  he  said 
nothing  more  about  it. 

Often  schoolboy  friends  are  the  very  antipodes 
of  each  other  in  character  ;  but  there  was  one 
point  on  which  Charlie  and  Lurn  were  both 
alike.  They  had  both  that  frank  and  open 
nature,  which  seems  scarcely  ever  able  to  con- 
ceal the  truth  by  a  falsehood,  however  small  or 
indirect.  But  with  Lurn  this  frankness  took 
the  form  of  boldness,  and  with  Charlie  that  of 
simplicity.  Some  of  the  boys  used  to  laugh  at 
what  they  called  his  innocence.  One  day  when, 
in  the  mathematic  schoolroom,  he  was  chewing 
a  piece  of  India-rubber  (an  inelegant  habit 
congenial  to  the  schoolboy  mind),  the  Master 
observed  him,  and  said : 

"  Campion,  you  will  write  out  the  forty- 
seventh  proposition  of  the  first  book,  twice,  for 
eating  in  school." 

One  or  two  of  the  boys  near  him,  knowing 
what  Charlie  was  doing,  partly  from  good  na- 
ture, and  partly  from  that  feeling  which  impels 
the  schoolboy  to  do  all  he  can  to  resist  his 
masters,  cried  out :  "  He  wasn't  eating,  sir." 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  139 

"  Oh !  I  beg  your  pardon,  then.  I  thought 
you  were,"  said  the  Master. 

"  I  wasn't  eating,"  said  Charlie,  standing 
up  and  blushing,  "  but  I  was  chewing  India- 
rubber." 

A  slight  titter  arose ;  even  the  Master  smiled. 

"  Where  did  you  learn  that  nasty  habit  ? 
You  will  write  out  the  forty-seventh  proposition 
once  only,  as  you  told  the  truth  about  it." 

"  What  a  fool  you  were,"  said  Granville 
Browne,  after  school.  "  Why  didn't  you  hold 
your  tongue  when  the  fellows  said  you  weren't 
eating,  and  you  would  have  got  off  ?  You're 
not  obliged  to  tell  on  yourself." 

"I  think  he  was  quite  right,"  said  Lurn, 
who  had  just  then  come  up  and  taken  Charlie's 
arm.  "  He  told  the  truth,  which  is  more  than 
you  do  sometimes,  Sham." 

''But  if  he  had  said  that  he  wasn't  eating, 
that  wouldn't  have  been  a  lie." 

"  It  wouldn't  have  been  exactly  a  lie,  perhaps, 
but  it  wouldn't  have  been  exactly  the  truth 
either.  The  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  nothing 
but  the  truth — that's  my  motto." 


140  OUDENDALE. 

"  I  suppose  you  would  have  done  the  same," 
said  Browne,  with  a  sneer. 

"  Well,"  answered  Lurn,  rather  hesitatingly, 
"  I  won't  say  what  I  luould  have  done,  because 
I  don't  pretend  that  I  always  do  what  is  right ; 
but  I  know  what  I  ought  to  have  done.  But 
don't  you  be  alarmed,  Sham.  We  don't  sup- 
pose you  would  have  done  anything  of  the  kind." 

Browne  gave  a  look  at  Lurn  of  the  loftiest 
contempt,  which  that  irreverent  young  gentle- 
man returned  by  making  a  face. 

"  What  a  swell  you  are  to-day,  Sham ! 
Where  did  you  steal  that  splendid  tie  ?  Is  it 
one  of  Mollycoddle's  old  ones,  or  has  he  been 
paying  you  your  wages  lately  ?  "  cried  Lurn,  as 
Browne  walked  away,  feigning  not  to  hear  him. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

CLEMENT  AND  HANDYSIDE. 

"  The  drankard  forfeits  man,  and  doth  divest 
All  worldly  right,  save  what  he  has  by  beast." 

George  Herbert. 

The  fourth  form  were  in  their  schoolroom 
one  Wednesday  morning.  The  regular  master 
of  this  form  was  Mr.  Campion,  but  on  Wednes- 
days and  Saturdays  Mr.  Porbury  gave  them  a 
lesson  in  Latin  composition  for  the  first  hour. 
Therefore,  we  now  behold  that  gentleman  in- 
stalled in  the  Master's  desk,  and,  as  an  inev- 
itable consequence,  the  form  in  a  state  of 
idleness  and  misbehavior. 

Soon  after  the  lesson  commenced,  Clement 
passed  up  the  form  this  note  to  Charlie,  who 
now  kept  a  pretty  fair  place,  neither  very  near 
nor  very  far  from  the  top  of  the  class. 

"  Handyside  and  I  are  going  to  Meadenburgh 
this  afternoon  to  see  the  races.     We  shall  cut 


142  OUDENDALE: 

dinner,  and  set  off  immediately  after  morning 
school.     Will  you  come  with  us  ?  '^ 

Charlie  hesitated  over  this  proposal.  He  did 
not  care  about  seeing  the  races,  and  would 
much  rather  have  gone  out  somewhere  with 
Lurn,  but  yet  he  could  not  bring  himself  to  say 
"No."  So,  after  a  minute's  deliberation,  he 
tore  up  the  note,  and  nodded  to  Clement,  who 
from  his  place  at  the  lower  end  of  the  form 
was  watching  the  result  of  his  missive  with 
some  anxiety.  Whenever  he  saw  that  Charlie 
consented,  he  turned  to  Handyside,  who  sat 
beside  him,  and  made  a  grimace,  which  was 
intended  to  express  delight  and  triumph. 

Mr.  Porbury,  as  we  know,  was  never  very 
much  at  home  among  boys,  and  was  the  victim 
of  a  great  many  tricks.  On  this  morning  he 
was  particularly  perturbed  by  the  appearance 
in  the  schoolroom  of  a  faint  light,  which  would 
shoot  across  the  room  with  great  rapidity,  then 
dance  about  the  ceiling  in  a  most  extraordinary 
manner,  and  then  suddenly  vanish.  This  phe- 
nomenon, which  greatly  delighted  all  the  boys, 
was  the  cause  of  much  perplexity  to  Mr.  Por- 


A   TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  143 

bury,  who,  as  often  as  it  appeared,  would  look 
up  to  the  ceilmg  in  great  amazement,  while  a 
suppressed  titter  would  be  heard  all  through 
the  room. 

When  Mr.  Porbury's  hour  was  up,  and  Mr. 
Campion  came  to  relieve  him,  he  took  him  into 
a  corner  of  the  room,  and  said,  in  a  low  tone  — 

"  A  most  extraordinary  phenomenon  has 
appeared  this  morning,  which  I  am  altogether 
at  a  loss  to  account  for.  Every  few  minutes 
a  flash  of  light  passes  over  tlie  ceiling  of  the 
room,  and  instantly  disappears.  Can  it  be  that 
the  atmospheric  —  look!  there  it  is  again!" 
exclaimed  Mr.  Porbury,  and  in  fact  at  this 
moment  the  light  flitted  across  the  ceiling. 
The  boys  all  saw  it,  and  saw  Mr.  Porbury  draw 
Mr.  Campion's  attention  to  it,  and  a  general 
laugh  ran  through  the  whole  form. 

Mr.  Campion  frowned,  though  he  felt  slightly 
inclined  to  smile  at  his  colleague's  simplicity. 

"  I  think  I  can  account  for  it,"  he  said,  in  a 
low  tone.  Then  raising  his  voice,  "  Who  is 
making  that  light  on  the  roof?     Stand  up." 

Charlie  stood  up,  holding  a  small  mirror  in 


144  OUDENDALE: 

his  hand,  the  reflection  of  which  had  caused 
Mr.  Porbury  so  much  perplexity. 

"  Give  it  to  me,"  said  Mr.  Campion,  who 
was  always  more  severe  to  his  cousin,  when 
found  out  doing  anything  wrong,  than  to  any 
other  boy.  "  You  will  stay  in  here  till  dinner- 
time, and  for  two  hours  afterwards,  and  I  shall 
give  you  some  work  to  do.  I  had  thought  that 
boys  in  the  fourth  form  were  above  such  silly 
tricks." 

"I  lent  the  mirror  to  Campion,"  said  Lurn, 
standing  up,  "  and  I  was  using  it  before 
him." 

"  Then  you  will  both  stay  in,"  said  Mr.  Cam- 
pion, and  then  began  the  lessons  of  the  day, 
while  Mr.  Porbury  went  away  in  a  profound 
meditation. 

When  school  was  over,  at  twelve  o'clock, 
Charlie  and  Lurn  had  to  stay  in  together. 
However,  such  great  friends  had  they  now 
become,  that  they  rather  enjoyed  even  being 
punished  together;  and  on  the  whole  Charlie 
was  not  sorry  that  he  could  not  accompany 
Clement  and  Handyside,  who  set  off  immedi- 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  145 

atelj,  rather  disgusted  at  Charlie's  not  being 
able  to  come  with  them. 

"  Never  mind,"  said  Clement,  as  they  passed 
out  of  the  gate.  "  We'll  get  him  some  other 
half-holiday.  In  the  meantime,  we'll  go  and 
have  some  fun  at  Meadenburgh." 

Charlie  and  Lurn  were  kept  in  until  dinner- 
time, and  for  two  hours  after.  However,  when 
they  had  finished  the  tasks  which  they  had  been 
set  by  way  of  imposition,  they  had  still  some 
time  before  their  release  at  their  disposal,  and 
employed  it  in  running  about  the  room  in  which 
they  were,  and  making  as  much  din  as  possible, 
till  at  length  Bill  Rufus  came  to  beg  them  to 
be  quiet,  or  they  would  have  one  of  the  masters 
in  to  see  what  was  the  matter. 

"  Shut  up.  Bill,"  shouted  Lurn,  waving  a 
ruler  at  him  in  defiance.  "  Nobody  will  ever 
come  near  us  unless  you  go  and  tell,  and  you 
have  left  off  telling  now,  and  become  a  Reformed 
Bill,  you  know." 

"  The  noise   you  two   are  making  is   quite 

enough ^to  tell  on  yourselves,"  protested  Bill. 

"  But  really,  this  can't  go  on,  you  know." 
10 


146  OUDENDALE : 

"  Stuff  and  nonsense !  You're  getting  hilions, 
Bill,"  cried  Lurn.  "  Why  don't  you  laugh  at 
that  pun  ? " 

"  Oh,  come  here  and  tickle  me,"  exclaimed 
Charlie,  feigning  to  try,  without  success,  to  get 
up  a  laugh  at  this  piece  of  wit. 

Bill,  seeing  that  entreaty  and  remonstrance 
were  alike  in  vain,  and  that  in  another  moment 
he  would  have  a  book  thrown  at  his  head,  beat 
a  hasty  retreat,  and  the  two  boys  resumed  their 
romps,  making  noise  enough  to  be  heard  over 
the  whole  quadrangle.  In  a  few  minutes  the 
door  again  opened. 

"  Now,  Bill,  you  donkey,  if  you  come  a  foot 
further  I'll  shy  this  ruler  at  your  head.  Now, 
lookout!" 

But  Lurn's  speech  was  brought  to  a  rather 
sudden  termination  ;  for,  instead  of  Bill,  it  was 
Dr.  Eden  who  had  now  entered  the  room.  He 
had  been  passing  by,  and  had  come  in  to  see 
what  the  unusual  noise  in  the  fourth-form  room 
meant. 

The  boys  stood  looking  very  foolish,  and 
expecting  a  severe  scolding,  if  not  ^something 


A  TxVLE  OF  SCHOOLBOY   LH'E.  147 

worse.  Doubtless,  if  it  had  been  Mr.  Campion, 
with  his  stern  sense  of  duty,  and  his  conscien- 
tious severity  towards  all  Charlie's  misdoings, 
this  would  have  been  their  fate  ;  but  Dr.  Eden 
was  a  less  severe  man,  and  more  inclined  to 
make  allowance  for  the  exuberance  of  boyish 
spirits,  and  so  he  only  said  — 

"  What  are  you  doing  here  ?  *' 

"  We  were  kept  in  by  Mr.  Campion,"  said 
Charlie,  "  and  we  had  finished  our  impositions, 
and  so  we  just  were  having  some  fun  ;  "  and  he 
and  Lurn  could  not  help  smiling  at  each  other. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,"  said  Lurn,  "for 
calling  out  at  you.  I  thought  you  were  Bill 
Ruf — I  mean  William." 

"  Well,  but  you  mustn't  make  such  a  noise 
here,"  said  Dr.  Eden,  smiling  also.  "If  you 
have  finished  your  impositions,  you  may  go 
now." 

Nothing  loth,  they  left  the  room,  and  went 
off  to  the  field  to  have  some  football  practice, 
and  to  inform  all  their  friends  of  their  adventure 
with  the  Master,  and  give  it  as  their  opinion 
that  he  was  "  a  regular  brick." 


148  OUDENDALE  : 

In  the  meantime,  if  we  follow  Clement  and 
Handyside,  we  shall  find  that  it  was  just  as 
well  for  Charlie  that  he  was  prevented  from 
accompanying  them  that  afternoon. 

They  took  the  turnpike  road,  and  set  off  at  a 
good  pace  towards  Meadenburgh.  But  before 
they  had  gone  half  a  mile  they  turned  into  a 
public  house  and  called  for  some  beer.  The 
landlord  put  them  into  a  small  room  by  them- 
selves, for  he  knew  he  should  get  into  trouble 
if  any  of  the  college  boys  were  seen  drinking 
at  his  house.  When  they  had  finished  the  beer, 
Clement  had  two  glasses  of  gin,  and  then  asked 
the  landlord  if  he  had  any  wine. 

"  Nothing  but  ginger  wine,"  said  he. 

"  Well,  bring  it,  quick,  and  be  hanged  to 
you,"  shouted  Clement,  who  was  by  this  time 
very  red  and  excited. 

The  landlord  went  for  the  wine ;  but  he  was 
a  cautious  man,  and  while  he  was  away  he 
consulted  with  his  wife,  and,  by  her  advice, 
made  up  his  mind  not  to  allow  the  boys  to  get 
drunk  in  his  house,  as  they  seemed  very  likely 
to  do.     So,  when  he  came  back,  he  told  them 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  149 

that  lie  would  give  them  a  bottle  of  wine,  but 
that  they  must  take  it  away,  and  not  drink  it 
at  his  house. 

"  Hang  you,  you  brute,  do  you  think  we  are 
going  to  get  drunk  ?  "  cried  Clement. 

"  Come  away,  come  away,  man,"  whispered 
Handyside,  who  had  not  drunk  so  much,  and, 
besides,  was  of  a  more  cautious  disposition  than 
Clement,  and  began  to  fear  that  they  would  be 
expelled  by  force. 

So  they  took  the  bottle,  and  paid  for  what 
they  had  had,  the  landlord  taking  good  care  to 
charge  them  about  twice  as  much  as  he  ought 
to  have  done.  He  did  not  take  any  notice  of 
the  oaths  which  Clement  showered  upon  him, 
for  he  was  used  to  being  sworn  at;  and  the 
boys  left  the  house,  Clement  carrying  the  bottle 
of  wine  in  his  pocket.  They  soon  left  the 
road,  and  turned  up  a  path  which  led  along 
the  banks  of  the  Ouden. 

The  wine  which  the  landlord  had  given  them 
was  a  vile  compound  of  coarse  spirit  and  sugar 
and  orange-juice  ;  and  as  Clement  soon  knocked 
the  neck  off  the  bottle,  and  began  to  pour  it 


150  OUDENDALE: 

down  his  throat,  the  effects  of  this,  and  his 
previous  potations,  became  very  apparent. 

"  Give  me  some,"  said  Handyside,  trying  to 
take  the  bottle  from  him.  This  young  gentle- 
man was  quite  as  great  a  scamp  as  Clement, 
but  he  had  not  his  recklessness,  and  was  afraid 
that  they  would  be  seen  by  some  of  the  masters. 

"  Curse  you,  no  !  "  cried  Clement.  "  You 
shan't  have  a  drop.  It  will  make  you  drunk. 
Hang  it,  I  bought  it,  and  paid  for  it,  didn't  I  ?  " 

He  again  lifted  the  bottle  to  his  lips,  took  a 
long  drink,  and  then  flung  it  into  the  river, 
after  which  he  sunk  down  on  the  bank,  and 
gazed  after  the  bottle  floating  down  the  Ouden 
with  a  stupid  stare. 

"  Get  up,  and  come  on,"  entreated  Handy- 
side.  "  We'll  be  nabbed,  if  we  don't  look  out. 
Get  up,  you  fool,  and  don't  make  an  ass  of 
yourself." 

"  I  won't  get  up  —  I  won't  get  up  till  I  like — 
I  won't  get  up  till  next  Christmas,"  stuttered 
Clement ;  and  then  suddenly  seizing  Handy- 
side's  arm,  and  pointing  to  the  floating  bottle, 
he  exclaimed,  "  Look  —  it  is  floating  down  the 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  151 

Oudeii :  old  Horsley  will  be  sure  to  see  it, 
and  then  he'll  know  we've  been  drinking.  But 
I  don't  care  for  him  a  bit  —  not  a  bit  —  not  a 
bit." 

Handy  side,  wishing  to  humor  him,  threw 
some  stones  at  the  bottle,  and  very  soon  broke 
it,  when  of  course  it  sunk. 

"  0  Handyside,  you're  my  preserver,"  cried 
Clement,  with  an  idiotic  laugh;  "  Horsley  won't 
find  out  now,  do  you  think  he  will?  " 

"  No,  no  ;  come  away  now,"  said  Handyside ; 
and  at  length  Clement  was  induced  to  get  up, 
and  to  try  to  w£ilk  back  to  the  college  by  the 
most  unfrequented  paths.  But  every  minute 
he  would  stop  and  sit  down,  or  would  commence 
to  shout  out,  or  play  some  extraordinary  prank. 
Before  long  they  met  with  a  party  of  boys  from 
the  town,  and  Clement  began  to  insult  them, 
and  offer  to  fight  them  all.  The  "  cads  "  seemed 
very  much  inclined  to  accept  this  offer,  there 
being  an  hereditary  feud  between  the  boys  of 
the  college  and  the  boys  of  the  town  ;  but  at 
length  Handyside  managed  to  drag  his  com- 
panion off,  pursued  by  the  jeers  of  the  whole 


152  OUDENDALE: 

party,  and  by  not  a  few  stones  and   clods  of 
earth. 

It  was  indeed  rather  an  unpleasant  predic- 
ament for  Handyside,  especially  as  one  of  the 
masters  might  come  upon  them  at  any  moment, 
and  he  felt  very  much  tempted  to  leave  Clement 
to  his  fate.  But  then,  if  Clement  were  found 
out,  he  himself  might  get  into  a  scrape,  and  so 
he  persevered,  and  in  about  two  hours  he  and 
Clement  arrived  at  the  college  gates.  There 
was  now  more  danger  than  ever  of  meeting  one 
of  the  masters  ;  but  they  passed  through  the 
gate  unnoticed,  and  Handyside  hastily  dragged 
Clement  to  his  bedroom  in  the  West  House, 
and  laid  him  in  his  bed  —  helplessly  drunk. 

Handyside  was  very  much  relieved  when  this 
was  done,  though  he  still  was  afraid  lest  Clement 
should  betray  his  condition  by  some  act  of  folly. 
So  he  remained  in  the  room  during  the  after- 
noon, and  told  any  boys  who  happened  to  come 
in  that  Clement  had  a  bad  headache,  and  must 
not  be  disturbed. 

But  about  an  hour  after  their  return,  just  as 
it  was  growing  dark,  Handyside,  thinking  that 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  153 

Clement  had  gone  off  to  sleep,  went  over  to  liis 
own  bedroom  to  fetch  a  book,  and  stayed  there 
for  some  ten  or  fifteen  minutes.  He  then  was 
going  to  return  to  Clement's  room,  but  hardly 
had  he  entered  the  quadrangle  before  he  saw, 
on  the  other  side  of  it,  a  small  mob  of  boys 
crowding  round  a  fantastically-dressed  figure. 
He  rushed  across,  and,  as  he  had  suspected, 
found  that  it  was  Clement,  who,  with  a  blanket 
wrapped  round  him,  and  a  red  scarf  tied  about 
his  head,  was  reeling  up  and  down  the  cloisters. 

"  0  Handyside,"  cried  one  boy,  as  he  ran 
up,  "look  here!  Clement  is  quite  screwed, 
and  —  " 

"  Hold  your  tongue,  you  fool !  "  growled 
Handyside  ;  and  then  seizing  Clement  by  the 
arm,  he  whispered,  "  Come  away,  for  goodness 
sake.  What  are  you  making  an  ass  of  yourself 
for  ?  " 

"  Ass !  "  said  Clement,  with  a  stupid  stare, 
and  a  drunken  laugh.  "  I'm  an  ass,  you're  an 
ass,  old  Horsley's  an  ass ;  we're  all  —  all  asses." 

"  Come  away,"  repeated  Handyside,  earnestly. 
"  Come  away,  or  you  will  be  nabbed." 


154  OUDEJ^DALE: 

"  Who  cares  ? "  hiccoughed  Clemeut.  "  Don't 
speak  to  me,  Handy  side.  You're  drunk,  and 
so's  old  Horsley.  What  are  you  fellows  laugh- 
ing at  ?  " 

"  Here,  you  fellows,  help  me  to  get  him  up 
into  his  room,"  said  Handyside,  appealing  to 
the  crowd  of  amazed  and  laughing  spectators 
who  had  now  collected.  They  were  all  little 
boys.  If  any  of  the  upper  school  had  been 
present,  they  would  doubtless  have  had  the 
sense  to  drag  off  Clement  at  once. 

"  Nobody  shall  touch  me  ! "  cried  Clement, 
hearing  what  Handyside  said.  "  I'll  knock  you 
all  down  ; "  and  as  two  or  three  of  the  biggest 
approached  him,  he  clenched  his  fists,  and  a 
scuffle  was  just  about  to  ensue,  when  a  well- 
known  voice  was  heard : 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  all  this  ?  " 

The  boys  fell  back  at  once,  and  Clement 
stood  face  to  face  with  Dr.  Eden.  He  gave  a 
silly  laugh,  and  began  to  reel  away,  but  had 
not  gone  two  steps  before  he  tottered,  and  fell 
on  the  ground. 

One  glance  at  him  told  Dr.  Eden  the  whole 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  155 

story,  and  called  up  into  his  face  a  look  of  pity 
and  disgust. 

"  Go  away,  all  of  you,"  he  said.  "  I  wonder 
you  can  take  any  pleasure  in  such  a  repulsive 
spectacle." 

Slowly  the  crowd  dispersed,  though  many  of 
the  more  curious  lingered  at  a  short  distance 
to  see  all  that  was  to  he  seen,  which  was  not 
much ;  for  Dr.  Eden,  calling  up  Bill,  ordered 
him  to  remove  the  wretched  hoy  to  a  separate 
room,  and  then  walked  away. 

The  news  of  what  had  happened  soon  spread 
all  over  the  college,  and  at  tea-time  nothing 
else  was  talked  about  but  this,  and  Clement's 
probable  punishment.  When  Charlie  first  heard 
of  it  he  was  greatly  agitated,  for  he  remem- 
bered he  was  to  have  been  Clement's  companion 
that  afternoon,  and  now,  for  the  first  time, 
caught  some  glimpse  of  the  danger  which  he 
had  escaped,  and  the  need  of  Mr.  Campion's 
warnings. 

After  prayers  Dr.  Eden  ordered  the  boys  to 
remain  for  a  few  minutes,  and  said,  amidst 
breathless  silence :    "  I  cannot  tell  you  how 


156  OUDENDALE: 

deeply  grieved  I  was  to  find  this  afternoon  one 
of  you  in  a  most  degrading  and  disgusting  con- 
dition. I  will  say  nothing  more  than  to  express 
a  hope  that  the  example  of  this  unhappy  boy's 
folly  may  be  a  salutary  lesson  to  some  of  you 
to  abstain  from  such  an  abominable  practice  as 
drinking.  As  for  Clement  himself,  he  can  no 
longer  remain  at  Oudendale.  Twice  already 
had  I  almost  determined  to  expel  him,  and  this 
time  I  have  made  up  my  mind." 

Not  to  dwell  on  this  matter,  Clement  left 
Oudendale  next  morning,  without  being  allowed 
to  see  any  of  the  other  boys,  and  Handyside 
breathed  freely  when  he  found  that  he  had  not 
been  in  any  way  implicated.  Charlie  was  not 
sorry,  for  he  never  really  liked  Clement,  and 
felt  as  if  he  were  now  released  from  a  certain 
baneful  influence  which  he  had  exercised  over 
him.  Mr.  Campion  was  glad  for  his  sake  —  for 
the  sake  of  the  whole  school  indeed.  Clement's 
recklessness  and  profanity  had  done  a  great 
deal  of  harm,  and  Dr.  Eden  had  long  resolved 
that  his  next  flagrant  offence  should  be  visited 
with  expulsion. 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  157 

Perhaps  this  chapter  may  seem  to  contain 
some  details  which  are  rather  disgusting.  But 
truth  is  not  the  less  truth  because  it  is  dis- 
gusting, nor  the  less  useful  when  seeking  to 
repel  from  vice,  rather  than  to  attract  to  virtue. 
Scenes  such  as  this  are  but  too  common  occur- 
rences in  our  public  schools.  0  boys  !  remem- 
ber that  you  have  precious,  immortal  souls, 
—  souls  which  the  blood  of  God  was  shed  to 
purchase,  —  and  do  not  reduce  yourselves  to  the 
level  of  brutes,  nor  take  a  pride  in  wallowing 
in  the  most  abject  and  abominable  vices. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

"  EGYPTIAN  STAIVIPS." 

"  Hie  ultra  vires  habitus  nitor  :  hie  aliud  plus 
Quam  satis  est ;  interdum  aliena  sumitur  area." 

Juvenal.    ' 

Now  that  Clement  was  away,  Charlie  made 
the  resolution  that  he  would  keep  out  of  bad 
company,  do  his  best  to  please  his  masters,  and, 
in  short,  would  try  to  be  "  better,"  as  he  vaguely 
expressed  it,  to  himself.  But,  like  many  other 
good  resolutions  which  he  and  millions  of  oth- 
ers have  made,  it  was  soon  quite  forgotten. 

Mr.  Campion  rejoiced  for  Charlie's  sake  when 
Clement  left ;  for  he  knew  that  his  recklessness 
and  effrontery  made  him  by  far  the  most  dan- 
gerous of  Charlie's  bad  companions.  These  are 
qualities  which  high-spirited  boys  are  inclined 
to  look  on  with  more  admiration  than  the  silly 
follies  and  fopperies  of  such  fellows  as  Granville 


A  TALE   OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  loO 

Browne,  and  Mr.  Campion  well  understood  the 
fatal  charm  which  they  give  to  sin. 

Granville  Browne  had  still  a  sort  of  liking 
for  Charlie,  which  had  begun  from  their  first 
meeting  in  the  railway  carriage  ;  and  though 
Charlie  did  not  care  for,  and  in  fact  rather 
despised  him,  he  was  too  good-natured  to  show 
it.  Browne  and  Lurn  were  great  enemies ; 
and  no  wonder;  for  fire  and  water  were  not 
more  unlike  than  the  boyish  frankness  and 
frolicsome  nature  of  the  one,  and  the  haughty, 
conceited  airs,  beneath  which  was  a  large  stra- 
tum of  cunning  meanness,  of  the  other.  Browne 
affected  to  look  down  on  Lurn,  and  called  him 
"low."  Everybody  was  "low"  in  his  opinion, 
and  altogether  unworthy  of  his  society,  who 
was  not  one  of  the  "  swells."  Lurn,  it  is  to 
be  observed,  was  the  grandson  of  an  earl,  while 
Browne's  grandfather  was  a  draper  in  London ; 
but  no  one  knew  this ;  and  indeed  Browne  him- 
self tried  his  best  to  bury  the  fact  in  oblivion, 
and  set  the  praiseworthy  example  of  cutting 
another  boy  who  was  discovered  to  have  com- 
mitted the  terrible  crime  of  having  a  tailor  for 


IGO  OUDENDALE: 

his  father.  Browne  was  therefore  not  at  all 
well  pleased  at  Charlie's  friendship  with  Lurn. 
One  day,  as  they  were  crossing  the  quadrangle 
arm-in-arm  on  their  way  to  the  field,  he  came 
up,  and  without  taking  any  notice  of  Lurn,  said : 

"  Come  with  Mauricodle  and  me,  Campion. 
We  are  going  down  to  the  town." 

"  No,  I  can't,"  said  (^harlie. 

"  Why  not  ?  " 

"  Because  he  is  going  with  me  somewhere," 
interrupted  Lurn,  who  was  not  very  well  pleased 
at  the  cool  way  in  which  Browne  pretended  not 
to  notice  him. 

"  0  Cubby,  is  that  you  ?  "  Browne  drawled 
out,  using  the  sobriquet  by  which  Lurn  was 
often  designated. 

"  Yes,  Sham,  it's  nobody  else,"  retorted 
Lurn.  "  Don't  you  see  me  ?  or  shall  I  have  to 
run  and  fetch  you  a  pair  of  double  magnifying 
telescopes  to  take  a  better  look  at  me  ?  " 

Browne  turned  away  from  him  with  a  look 
which  was  intended  to  be  contemptuous,  and 
again  addressed  Charlie :  "  I  wish  you  would 
come  with  us.     I  am  just  going  down  to  Steel, 


A  TALE  OF   SCHOOLBOY   LIFE.  161 

the  tailor's,  and  I  want  you  and  Mauricodle  to 
help  me  to  choose  a  new  pair  of  bags." 

"  Get  them  green,  with  broad  yellow  stripes 
down  the  sides,"  said  Liirn.  "  And  be  sure  to 
make  Mollycoddle  give  you  a  present  of  a  barrel 
of  starch  for  your  collars.  You  know  he  prom- 
ised you  one  last  week,  because  you  laughed 
like  anything  when  he  made  a  bad  pun." 

These  allusions  to  Browne's  collars,  about 
which  he  was  remarkably  particular,  and  to  his 
reputed  connection  with  Lord  Mauricodle,  si- 
lenced him  at  once,  and  he  walked  off  with  an 
air  of  dignified  contempt,  while  Lurn  and  Char- 
lie burst  out  laughing. 

Many  such  verbal  encounters  took  place 
between  these  two  rivals  for  Charlie's  friendship, 
and  Lurn  nearly  always  came  off  victorious. 
No  one  ever  got  much  advantage  in  a  war  of 
words  with  "  Cubby  "  Lurn. 

There  was  at  this  time  a  great  rage  for  bet- 
ting at  Oudendale.  The  games  of  football,  and 
many  other  more  trifling  matters,  were  betted 
on  ;  and  thus  a  very  bad  habit  was  confirmed 
in  many  foolish  boys  for  life.  This  being  con- 
11 


162  OUDENDALE: 

sidered  a  fashionable  amusement,  of  course 
"  the  swells  "  were  not  behmd  in  it.  Granville 
Browne  bet  as  much  as,  if  not  more  than,  any 
of  them,  and  generally  won  too ;  for  this  young 
gentleman  was  not  only  very  proud  and  con- 
ceited, but  rather  more  cunning  than  the  rest 
of  Lord  Mauricodle's  friends.  However,  having 
bet  heavily  on  a  horse  which  he  had  thought 
sure  to  win  a  certain  race,  but  which  had  been 
scratched,  and  having  met  with  some  smaller 
pieces  of  bad  luck,  he  one  day  found  himself  in 
the  position  of  having  no  money,  and  owing 
half  a  crown  to  Mauricodle.  Being  very  unwil- 
ling to  offend  his  noble  creditor,  Browne  began 
to  reflect  how  he  should  raise  half  a  crown. 

At  this  time  the  stamp-collecting  mania  had 
just  spread  to  Oudendale,  and  all  the  boys  were 
running  about  exchanging  Badens  for  Bavarias, 
and  Italian  for  Portuguese,  and  so  forth.  Gran- 
ville Browne  collected  stamps,  and  by  selling 
some  of  them  he  thought  he  might  manage  to 
get  what  he  wanted.  Having  found  a  little  boy, 
called  Handy  side,  in  the  lower  school,  who  was 
willing  to  pay  for  some  rare  stamps,  Browne 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  163 

showed  him  some  very  old  and  faded  Australian 
ones,  which  he  informed  him  were  Egj^ptian. 
Handyside  was  delighted  at  the  idea  of  possess- 
ing such  treasures,  and  willingly  consented  to 
give  half  a  crown  for  them,  though  in  reality 
they  were  woVth  almost  nothing.  So  Browne, 
by  this  piece  of  what  he  thought  cleverness, 
was  able  to  pay  his  debt,  and  little  Handyside 
ran  off  to  show  his  new  acquisitions  to  all  his 
friends,  and  the  first  whom  he  met  was  Lurn, 
his  cousin. 

"  0  Frank !  I've  got  some  awfully  rare 
stamps  !  "  he  exclaimed. 

"  What  are  they  ? "  said  Lurn,  with  great 
interest,  for  lie  was  a  stamp  collector  too. 

"  There  !  "  cried  the  little  boy,  triumphantly 
displaying  the  five  stamps  which  he  had  got 
from  Browne.  "  Egyptian  !  You  haven't  got 
anything  half  so  rare  as  that  in  your  whole 
collection.     What  are  you  laughing  at  ?  " 

Lurn  was  looking  rather  contemptuously  at 
his  treasures,  for  he  recognized  the  stamps  as 
some  which  Browne  had  tried  to  exchange  with 
him  for  far  more  than  their  value. 


164  OUDENDALE : 

*'  Did  you  get  those  from  Granville  Browne, 
in  my  form  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Yes.  He  is  the  only  fellow  in  the  school 
who  has  them,  he  told  me." 

"  He  has  been  gulling  you.  They're  no  more 
Egyptian  stamps  than  I  am  an  Egyptian  don- 
key.    What  did  you  give  him  for  them  ?  " 

*'  Half  a  crown." 

"  Half  a  what  ?  "  exclaimed  Lurn.  "  They're 
not  worth  half  a  farthing.  What  a  horrid  cheat 
he  is." 

"  Are  they  not  rare  stamps  ?  "  asked  Handy- 
side,  rather  alarmed.    ''  He  told  me  they  were." 

"  He  told  you  a  regular  lie,  then.  But  I'll 
go  and  make  him  fork  out  the  half  a  crown 
again,  or  — "  and,  with  this  unfinished  threat 
Lurn  strode  off  to  find  Browne. 

After  Browne  had  concluded  this  profitable 
transaction,  he  went  to  look  for  Mauricodle. 
On  the  way  he  met  Charlie,  and  taking  his 
arm,  they  went  into  the  racket  court  together, 
and  there  found  Mauricodle  and  some  of  his 
friends,  who  had  just  been  amusing  themselves 
by  a  game  of  rackets,  —  almost  the  only  game, 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  165 

by  the  way,  which  these  elegant  young  gentlemen 
condescended  to  play  at  that  time  of  the  year. 

"  Why,  Browne  !  where  have  you  been  ?  " 
drawled  out  Lord  Mauricodle.  *'  I  declare  I 
was  looking  for  you  ever  so  long,  to  have  a 
game  of  rackets  with  you." 

''  I've  been  down  to  the  town,"  said  Browne. 
^'  By  the  by,  Mauricodle,"  he  added,  as  if  sud- 
denly recollecting  something,  "  don't  I  owe  you 
half  a  crown,  or  something  like  that  ?  " 

"  I  believe  you  do." 

"  Then  I  had  better  pay  you  now,  in  case  I 
forget,"  drawled  he,  taking  out  half  a  crown 
from  his  pocket  and  handing  it  to  Mauricodle, 
and  proposed  another  game  at  rackets. 

"  I'll  try  you,  -Browne.  Campion,  will  you 
bet  half  a  crown  I  don't  beat  him  ?  " 

"  I've  got  no  money,"  said  Charlie.  He  had 
plentiful  supplies  of  money  from  his  uncle,  which 
never  lasted  long,  and  generally  went  in  tarts 
and  cheesecakes  to  his  associates,  who  always  re- 
joiced when  Campion  ^'  had  lots  of  tin."  Char- 
lie seldom  betted,  not  because  he  saw  that  it  was 
wrong,  but  because  he  did  not  care  about  it. 


166  OUDENDALE : 

The  game  between  Maiiricodle  and  Browne 
had  scarcely  begun,  before  Lurn  rushed  up  in 
a  great  state  of  indignation. 

"  I  say,  Browne,  you've  been  cheating  my 
cousin,  Willie  Handyside.  Did  you  tell  him 
that  these  were  Egyptian  stamps  ?  " 

"  Go  away,  and  don't  bother  me.  Don't  you 
see  that  I  am  playing  a  game  ?  "  said  Browne, 
turning  very  red,  however. 

"  I  see  that  you're  a  horrid  cheat,"  cried 
Lurn.  "  See,  Campion,  he  told  Willie  that 
these  were  Egyptian  stamps,  and  got  half  a 
crown  out  of  him  for  them.  You  give  back 
that  half  a  crown  this  instant,  Browne." 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  are  talking  about," 
said  Browne,  who  was  feeling  very  uncomfort- 
able at  being  exposed  in  this  way  before  his 
fashionable  friends. 

"  Don't  tell  lies.  You  know  as  well  as  I  do 
what  I  mean ;  and  if  you  don't  fork  out,  I'll  go 
and  tell  Cholmondeley  this  very  instant." 

Browne  got  alarmed  at  this  threat,  and  tried 
to  pass  it  over  the  best  way  he  could. 

"  Well,  I'll  give  it  back,  rather  than  have 


\       A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  167 

any  row  about  it.  I  declare  I've  got  no  money 
with  me,"  he  said,  bringing  out  his  purse,  and 
pretending  to  search  it  very  diligently.  Just 
give  me  that  half  a  crown  again,  Mauricodle, 
will  you  ?     I'll  pay  you  another  time." 

^'  There  it  is,"  said  Mauricodle,  not  very 
cordially ;  for  though  he  was  a  fool,  he  was  a 
gentleman,  and  would  not  approve  of  such 
cheating  as  Lurn  had  accused  Browne  of. 

"  I  suppose  you  think  that  a  very  swell  thing 
to  do,  going  and  cheating  a  little  fellow  with  a 
pack  of  lies." 

"  Can't  you  hold  your  tongue  about  it,  now 
that  you've  got  the  money  ?  "  said  Browne,  in 
an  undertone. 

"  No,  I  won't  hold  my  tongue  about  it,"  said 
Lurn,  loudly.  "If  a  fellow  goes  and  behaves 
like  a  cad,  I'll  tell  him  what  I  think  of  it." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that  language  ?  " 
cried  Browne,  still  trying  to  keep  up  an  ap- 
pearance of  surprise  and  indignation. 

"  I  mean  just  what  I  say.  The  fellow  who 
would  go  and  cheat  a  little  fellow  out  of  his 
money  by  selling  him  a  lot  of  rubbish,  and  tell- 


168  OUDENDALE: 

iiig  him  lies  about  it,  is  a  mean,  blackguardly 
ead.  There  now;  don't  look  so  grand  !  If  you 
didn't  hear  what  I  said  rightly,  I'll  say  it  over 
again ;  and,  if  you  like,  I  will  write  it  down  for 
you  on  a  piece  of  paper." 

But  as  Browne  did  not  seem  to  desire  this, 
Lurn  turned  on  his  heel  and  strode  off,  and 
Charlie  followed  him. 

"  I  wonder  how  you  can  have  anything  to  do 
with  such  a  cad  !  "  exclaimed  Lurn,  vehemently. 
"  I  hate  a  fellow  giving  himself  airs,  and  setting 
up  to  be  better  than  other  people,  and  all  the 
while  not  being  ashamed  to  do  such  low,  black- 
guard tricks.  Hang  it,  I  don't  set  up  to  be 
better  than  other  people,  but  I  can't  stand  such 
a  —  I  don't  know  what  to  call  him  —  as  that 
Browne." 

"  He's  a  great  fool,"  assented  Charlie,  "  and 
I  shan't  speak  to  him  again  in  a  hurry." 

When  Charlie  and  Lurn  had  gone,  Mauricodle 
turned  to  Browne,  and  said,  with  a  perplexed 
look :  "  Wiiat  have  you  been  doing  ?  Why 
were  you  cheating  that  little  fellow  ?  " 

"  It  was  rather    clever,  wasn't  it  ? "   said 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  .    169 

Browne,  with  a  forced  laugli.  "  I  should  have 
gulled  him  splendidly,  if  that  fool  Lurn  hadn't 
come  meddling.  Let  us  go  on  with  our  game, 
now." 

"No  —  hang  it,  Browne,  it  was  a  beastly 
shame  —  cheating  the  fellow,  and  all  that  sort 
of  thing,"  stammered  Mauricodle,  who  had 
not  enough  resolution  to  say  that  he  thought 
Browne's  conduct  had  been  dishonorable.  "  I 
shan't  play  any  more,"  and  he  turned  away 
abruptly,  and  walked  off,  followed  by  the  otlier 
"  swells,"  his  attendants,  who,  seeing  that  his 
lordship  was  pleased  to  look  coldly  on  Browne, 
of  course  felt  it  their  duty  to  do  so  also. 

So  Granville  Browne  was  left  in  the  racket 
court  in  no  very  enviable  frame  of  mind. 

"  Curse  that  little  wretch  and  his  stamps !  " 
he  cried,  wrathfully.  "I'll  go  off,  and  make 
him  promise  to  say  nothing  more  about  it." 

But  he  had  hardly  got  into  tlie  quadrangle 
when  he  met  Handy  side  of  the  fifth  form,  who 
had  just  heard  from  his  little  brother  of  the 
way  in  which  Browne  had  attempted  to  cheat 
him,  and  was  on  his  way  to  chastise  him,  though 


170  OUDENDALE: 

it  is  to  be  observed  that  Handyside  would  have 
thought  this  rather  a  clever  and  laudable  trick 
if  it  had  not  been  practised  on  his  brother. 
When  he  met  Browne,  he  caught  him  by  the 
collar  of  his  jacket,  and,  with  many  oaths,  pro- 
ceeded to  give  him  a  tremendous  thrashing. 
Granville  howled  and  struggled  ;  but  it  was  no 
use,  for  Handyside  was  twice  as  strong  as  he, 
and  he  got  as  good  a  thrashing  as  ever  he  had 
in  his  life.  At  length  Handyside  flung  him 
away,  half  mad  with  pain  and  passion,  saying, 
"  There,  now  !  If  I  catch  you  playing  any  tricks 
on  my  brother  again,  I'll  give  you  twice  as 
much.  I  think  you  had  better  not  try  selling 
your  Egyptian  stamps  any  more." 

Granville  was  of  that  opinion  too,  and  it  was 
a  long  time  before  he  attempted  to  cheat  small 
boys  again  ;  or,  if  he  did,  he  selected  those  who 
had  no  big  brothers  in  the  school,  and  took 
better  care  not  to  be  found  out. 

Lord  Mauricodle  cut  him  for  a  day  or  two ; 
but  he  was  too  weak-minded  to  persist  in  any 
such  decided  course  of  conduct,  and  Granville 
was  soon  in  as  high  favor  with  his  lordship  as 


A  TALE   OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  171 

ever.  Of  course,  the  rest  of  the  swells  all  fol- 
lowed Mauricpdle's  example.  But  Charlie  ever 
afterwards  kept  away  from  Browne,  whom  he 
now  thoroughly  disliked ;  and  that  elegant  and 
refined  young  gentleman  had  the  perception 
to  understand  that  Charlie  wished  to  cut  him, 
and  no  longer  tried  to  seek  his  society. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

GOOD  RESOLUTIONS. 

"  Nam  cur. 
Quae  laedunt  oculum,  festinas  deraere;  si  quid 
Est  anlmum,  diflfers  curandi  tempus  in  annum? 
Dimidium  facti,  qui  caepit,  liabct,  sapere  aude  ; 
Incipe.    Qui  recte  vivendi  prorogat  horam, 
Eusticus  expectat  dum  defluat  amnis ;  at  ille 
Labitur,  et  labetur  in  omne  volubilis  aevum." 

Horace. 

When  Clement  left  Oudendale,  Mr.  Campion 
thought  Charlie  had  now  got  rid  of  his  worst  com- 
panion and  adviser ;  but  in  this  he  was  deceived, 
though  for  some  time  he  did  not  know  it. 

Henrys,  the  captain  of  Charlie's  bedroom, 
had  taken  a  fancy  to  him,  —  for  Charlie  was  one 
of  those  boys  who  make  friends  of  all  sorts  of 
people.  Before  a  fortnight  after  Clement's  ex- 
pulsion had  passed,  it  was  evident  that  Henrys 
had  "  taken  up"  Charlie. 

"  Taking  up  "  (which  the  ignorant  reader 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  173 

must  please  to  understand  as  a  big  boy's  con-j 
ferring  his  intimate  friendship  upon  a  little  one) 
is  in  general  bad  for  both  parties.  Not  tiiat 
there  have  not  been  many  lasting,  happy,  and 
useful  friendships  between  boys  of  very  dififerent 
ages ;  but  in  the  majority  of  cases  the  older  boy 
is  lowered  in  the  eyes  of  his  equals  by  his  inti- 
macy with  one  much  younger  than  himself,  and 
the  younger  learns  the  bad  habits  of  his  elders 
before  he  has  strength  of  mind  to  resist  them, 
and  often  becomes  a  perfect  little  scoundrel, 
versed  in  all  sorts  of  filthiness  and  blackguard- 
ism, while  he  is  yet  a  mere  child.  Besides,  a 
boy  who  is  taken  up  is  generally  looked  upon 
with  a  certain  dislike  by  those  of  his  own  age 
and  position  in  the  school.  On  this  account, 
older  boys  would  do  well  to  reflect  before  they 
commence  intimate  friendships  with  their  jun- 
iors ;  or  if  they  do  so,  let  them  remember  that 
they  will  have  to  give  account  at  the  Great  Day 
for  every  lesson  of  evil  impressed  upon  these 
young  souls  by  their  agency.  We  have  all  op- 
portunities of  doing  good  or  evil  by  precept  and 
example  ;  none  more  so  than  the  senior  boys 


174  OUDENDALE: 

of  a  large  school ;  and  the  more  such  oppor- 
tunities God  lias  given  us,  the  greater  harvest 
of  gpod  will  he  require. 

Charlie  was  rather  older  than  most  boys  who 
were  taken  up,  and  he  was  less  impressible  by  evil 
example  than  boys  generally  are  ;  yet  he  could 
not  but  learn  much  evil  from  Henrys.  Henrys 
was  not  a  very  badly-disposed  boy,  and  had  nei- 
ther the  recklessness  of  Clement,  nor  the  low, 
mean  mind  of  Handyside ;  but  he  was  carried 
away  by  an  intense  admiration  for  what  he  falsely 
thought  and  called  "  manliness."  This  quality, 
in  his  opinion,  and  in  that  of  many  other 
mistaken  persons,  consisted  in  pursuing  some 
of  the  most  coarse  vices,  and  sneering  at  all 
which  Divine  Iloliness  has  taught  us  to  be 
lovely  and  of  good  report.  To  drink,  to  smoke, 
to  swear,  to  disregard  and  disobey  all  legitimate 
authority,  was  to  be  manly.  To  be  diligent,  to 
be  obedient  and  respectful,  to  be  pure-minded, 
was  to  be  a  muff.  Never  has  a  word  been  more 
perverted  from  its  right  meaning  by  the  present 
generation  than  this  adjective  "  manly."  In- 
stead of  being  reserved  for  the  honorable  des- 


A  TALE  OF   SCHOOLBOY   LIFE.  175 

igiiatioii  of  the  duty-doing,  lieaven-strengthencd 
Christian,  it  is  used  to  give  an  attractive  name 
to  the  vices  of  folly  and  dissipation. 

Charlie  now  learned  evil  much  faster  than 
under  the  auspices  of  Clement.  He  was  more 
hardened  both  to  the  sight  and  the  practice  of 
sin,  and  was  also  flattered  by  being  selected  as 
the  chosen  companion  of  a  monitor.  Henrys 
often  had  him  in  his  study,  and  there  taught 
him  many  tricks  for  deceiving  the  masters  in 
the  performance  of  the  school  work.  Among 
other  gifts,  Henrys  gave  a  perfect  library  of 
translations  and  keys  to  the  school-books  of  his 
form.  Charlie  had  always  been  taught  by  his 
mother  that  the  use  of  such  means  was  both 
dishonorable  towards  his  masters,  and  injurious 
to  himself ;  and  when  he  first  came  to  Ouden- 
dale  he  would  not  have  even  looked  at  them  ; 
but  now  his  scruples  had  faded  away  with  the 
remembrance  of  her  gentle  and  loving-kindness, 
and  he  made  use  of  them  constantly. 

The  boys  of  the  lower  and  middle  school  all 
had  to  be  in  bed  by  ten  o'clock,  and  the  mon- 
itors were   expected  to  see  that  this  rule  was 


176  0UDE2;DALE: 

enforced.  The  upper  school  were  allowed  to 
sit  up  till  eleven,  if  they  liked,  but  only  for  the 
purpose  of  reading  or  studying  ;  and  the  mon- 
itors were  not  bound  by  any  rules.  Dr.  Eden 
trusting  to  their  honor  that  they  would  not  do 
anything  of  which  he  would  disapprove.  This 
license  was  sadly  abused  by  one  or  two  of  the 
monitors,  who  took  advantage  of  it  to  have 
supper-parties  (which  were  forbidden  after  half- 
past  nine  o'clock)  in  some  of  the  studies,  where 
they  indulged  in  all  sorts  of  forbidden  amuse- 
ments, such  as  drinking,  smoking,  playing  at 
cards,  and  fancying  that  they  were  doing  some- 
thing excessively  delightful  and  clever.  Henrys 
and  one  or  two  more  of  the  monitors  were  the 
managers  of  these  secret  feasts,  and  the  other 
monitors  who  lived  in  tho  West  House,  if  they 
did  not  join  in  them,  at  all  events  did  not  try 
to  stop  them.  "  It's  not  our  business,"  was 
their  view  of  the  matter,  though  certainly  one 
would  have  thought  that  all  the  monitors  were 
interested  in  not  allowing  Dr.  Eden's  confidence 
in  them  to  be  misplaced. 

Henrys  took    Charlie  to   more  than  one  of 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  177 

these  suppers,  and  he  for  his  part  was  delighted 
at  being  so  honored,  to  the  eiwy  of  most  of  the 
other  boys  in  the  room,  who  could  not  help 
knowing  all  about  what  was  taking  place, 
though  it  was  supposed  to  be  a  secret. 

But  we  need  not  dwell  on  such  a  repulsive 
subject  as  a  record  of  the  lessons  in  sin  which 
Charlie  received.  Suffice  to  say,  that  he  every 
day  learned  more  ;  and  though  he  often,  in 
moments  of  reflection,  saw  how  much  he  was 
changing  for  the  worse,  and  resolved  to  try  and 
be  better,  his  good  resolutions,  unsupported  by 
a  prayerful  trust  in  God,  melted  away  like 
snow  in  the  evil  atmosphere  by  which  he  was 
surrounded. 

Oh,  how  fast  the  soul  rushes  down  the  broad, 
smooth  road  of  sin,  and  how  difficult  it  is  to 
turn  and  climb,  step  by  step,  the  narrow  and 
rugged  path  that  leads  to  righteousness  and 
everlasting  life  ! 

Lurn  was  not  over  well  pleased  to  see  Charlie 

taken  up  by  Henrys.     They  were  not  so  often 

together  now,  for  Charlie  was  a  great  deal  in 

Henrys'  study.      But  Lurn  had  sufficient  per- 
12 


178  OUDENDALE: 

ception  to  see  that  lie  would  not  be  grateful  to 
him  for  any  advice  on  the  subject,  and  so  kept 
his  opinion  to  himself.  However,  he  consoled 
himself  by  reflecting  that  it  was  not  likely  to 
last,  Henrys  being  remarkable  for  taking  sudden 
and  violent  attachments  to  younger  boys,  and 
growing  before  long  as  suddenly  and  completely 
tired  of  them.  Charlie^  was  the  third  boy  whom 
Henrys  had  taken  up  within  the  last  six  months, 
and  had  obtained  this  enviable  situation,  vice 
little  Handyside  in  the  lower  school — dismissed 
in  disgrace. 

The  Easter  holidays  were  now  fast  drawing 
on.  Ohj  how  changed  Charlie  was  since  last 
Easter  !  How  changed  since  the  day  when  his 
dying  mother  cast  her  last  fond  glance  on  him, 
and  prayed  to  God  to  make  him  pure  in  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb  !  Her  prayers  were  not 
unheard,  though  they  might  seem  to  be  so,  and 
an  unseen,  and  as  yet  unknown  Providence 
was  watching  over  Charlie,  waiting  his  own 
good  time  for  the  fulfilment  of  his  designs. 

One  day  Charlie  received  by  post  this  hur- 
riedly-scrawled letter,  which  had  neither  date 
nor  address : 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  179 

"My  Dear  Campion: 

"It's  not  likely  that  you  will  see  me 
again,  for  I  am  going  off  to  sea  next  week,  and 
I  don't  care  if  I  never  come  back.  I  write 
to  you  to  say  that  I  wish  we  had  never  been 
friends  at  all.  Somehow  or  other  I  took  a 
fancy  to  you  whenever  I  saw  you,  and  I  am 
afraid  I  have  done  you  no  good.  I  know  that 
I  am  a  regular  beast,  and  it  is  no  use  for  me  to 
try  and  behave  better  now;  but  I  hope  that 
you  won't  follow  my  example.  I  daresay  you 
are  astonished  at  me  writing  in  this  way  to  you, 
but  I  feel  sorry  for  the  way  I  went  on  at 
Oudendale,  and  especially  for  the  harm  I  tried 
to  do  to  you. 

"Don't  show  this  letter  to  any  fellow,  and 
forget  all  about  J.  Clement." 

This  letter  not  only  astonished,  but  rather 
troubled  Charlie,  for  it  only  repeated  the  warn- 
ing which  his  conscience  gave  him  that  he  was 
becoming  more  hardened  to  evil  every  day. 
He  was  rather  annoyed  than  otherwise  at  being 
reminded  of  an  unpleasant  truth.     For  a  little, 


180  OUDENDALE. 

however,  he  had  almost  made  up  his  mind  to 
cut  Henrys,  and  to  behave  himself  more  as  he 
had  done  when  his  mother  was  alive  ;  for  as  yet 
his  desire  to  be  better  extended  no  further  than 
this.  But  then  a  tempting  voice  whispered  in 
his  heart,  "  It  would  be  shabby  to  cut  Henrys, 
when  he  likes  me  so  much ;  he  will  be  leaving 
at  the  end  of  the  half;  I  shall  get  my  remove 
very  likely  at  the  end  of  this  half,  and  then  I 
will  really  get  on  better :  after  all,  what  great 
harm  is  there  in  using  cribs,  and  smoking  a 
cigar  now  and  then,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing  ? 
I  am  not  so  bad  as  Handyside  and  lots  of  other 
fellows,  and  I  never  will  be  either  !  " 

Thus  Charlie  persuaded  himself,  and  partially 
lulled  his  conscience.  He  tore  up  Clement's 
letter,  and  tried  to  forget  all  about  it. 


CHAPTER  XIY. 

THE  BULLY. 

"  Thou  little  valiant,  great  in  villainy ! 
Thou  ever  strong  upon  the  stronger  side! 
Thou  fortune's  champion,  that  dost  never  fight 
But  when  her  humorous  ladyship  is  by 
To  teach  thee  safety  I" 

Shakspeaee. 

We  have  not  heard  for  some  time  of  Edmonds, 
the  bully  of  the  fourth  form.  That  amiable 
young  gentleman  bore  no  good-will  to  Charlie, 
as  we  have  seen ;  but  though  he  lost  no  oppor- 
tunity of  annoying  him,  he  took  care  not  to  go 
too  far,  as  he  knew  by  experience  that  Charlie, 
though  not  nearly  so  strong  as  he,  had  a  good 
deal  of  courage,  and  if  goaded  on  to  a  quarrel, 
was  by  no  means  an  antagonist  to  be  despised. 
But  to  those  boys  of  whose  utter  incapacity  to 
resist  him  he  could  have  no  doubt,  Edmonds 
was  not  so  considerate.     Having  been  endowed 


182  OUDENDALE : 

by  nature  with  great  bodily  and  very  little 
mental  power,  he  made  use  of  the  former  to 
produce  the  effects  of  the  latter  ;  or,  in  plainer 
language,  he  was  in  the  habit  of  forcing  small 
clever  boys  to  do  his  exercise  for  him  and  to 
give  him  construes,  by  threatening  to  "  kick  " 
them  if  they  refused.  And  thus  he  managed,  if 
not  to  keep  a  high  place  in  the  form,  at  least  to 
secure  himself  from  the  punishment  which  his 
idleness  deserved,  which  was  all  he  cared  about. 
There  had  been  removed  into  the  fourth 
form  at  Christmas  a  boy  called  Alfred  Steven- 
son, who  was  only  eleven  years  old.  Though 
so  young,  he  was  always  near  the  top  of  the 
form ;  for  he  had  most  excellent  abilities,  and 
was  very  diligent.  He  even  looked  younger  than 
he  really  was,  and  so  he  went  by  the  name  of 
Baby  Stevenson.  He,  like  many  others,  took 
a  great  fancy  for  Charlie  ;  and  it  had  been  well 
for  Charlie  if  all  his  friendfe  had  been  like  little 
Stevenson,  for  he  was  not  only  clever  and  dili- 
gent, but  remarkably  amiable  and  well-disposed. 
He  was  too  gentle  and  modest  to  associate 
much  with  any  but  a  few  intimate  friends ;  but 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  183 

if  he  could  catch  Charlie  alone,  he  liked  to 
have  a  talk  with  him.  Charlie  liked  him,  too. 
There  was  something  very  attractive  in  his 
bright,  pleasant  look,  and  his  large,  round, 
shining  eyes  ;  and  then  the  stories  which  in  his 
open-heartedness  he  would  tell  about  his  mother 
and  his  home,  touched  a  chord  in  Charlie's 
better  nature,  and  reminded  him  of  his  own 
home  and  the  tender  love  which  had  once 
watched  round  him,  but  which  had  now  passed 
away  forever.  Stevenson,  on  his  part,  regarded 
Charlie  as  a  sort  of  hero  and  admirable  Crich- 
ton  in  all  matters  relating  to  games  and  such 
matters,  and  would  often  ask  his  advice  in  the 
same  trustful  way  as  he  would  at  home  have 
appealed  to  his  father  or  mother. 

One  day,  as  Charlie  was  crossing  the  yard, 
Stevenson  stopped  him  and  said  : 

"  I  want  to  ask  your  advice." 

"  Well,  what  about  ?  Fire  away,"  said 
Charlie,  whose  vanity  was  rather  tickled  at 
being  looked  up  to  in  this  way. 

"  Do  you  think  it  would  be  right  to  do  an- 
other fellow's   exercise  for  him?     You   know 


184  OUDENDALE: 

Mr.  Campion  would  think  that  he  did  it  him- 
self, and  would  mark  him  for  it." 

"  Well,"  answered  Charlie,  hesitatingly,  '4ots 
of  fellows  do  it." 

"  I  know  that ;  but  is  it  right  ?  "  persisted 
Stevenson.  "  Would  God  like  us  to  do  it  ?  Is 
it  not  deceiving  Mr.  Campion  ?  " 

This  was  a  question  which  Charlie  would 
much  rather  not  have  answered,  or  even  re- 
flected on.  He  knew  that  he  himself  frequently 
both  gave  and  took  the  dishonest  assistance 
which  Stevenson  referred  to,  and  yet  he  could 
not  defend  it  in  any  way.  So,  after  a  minute's 
reflection,  he  said,  though  not  very  confidently: 

"  No  ;  it  would  not  be  right." 

"  I  thought  not.  And  if  a  fellow  were  to  try 
and  force  you  to  do  anything  of  this  sort,  you 
wouldn't  give  in  to  him,  would  you  ?  " 

"  Of  course  I  wouldn't,"  said  Charlie,  a  little 
more  decidedly  this  time ;  for  he  was  now 
speaking  the  truth.  His  self-will  would  have 
risen  up  and  resisted  any  one  who  would  have 
attempted  to  force  him  to  commit  sins  which 
he  would  easily  be  led  to  tolerate  and  take  part 
in  by  a  very  little  persuasion. 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  185 

Stevenson  looked  as  if  he  wished  to  continue 
tlie  conversation  ;  but  at  tliat  moment  Lurn, 
Gordon,  and  Dale  came  up  to  claim  Charlie  for 
a  game  of  rackets  which  he  had  promised  to 
play  with  them.  So  he  walked  off  with  them, 
and  Stevenson  went  in  another  direction,  con- 
firmed in  a  resolution  which  he  had  come  to  of 
refusing  to  do  Edmonds'  exercises  any  more. 
Nor  did  he  make  up  his  mind  for  this  without 
thinking  with  some  dread  of  the  consequences  ; 
but,  like  Charlie,  Stevenson  had  been  taught 
where  to  seek  for  help  in  time  of  need,  and, 
unlike  Charlie,  this  teaching  had  not  been  lost 
on  him;  so  he  prayed  to  God  to  give  him 
strength  to  do  right.  Nor  is  that  strength  ever 
denied  to  him  who  asks  in  faith.  The  Christian 
may  indeed  give  a  nobler  utterance  to  that 
noble  sentiment  of  the  heathen  poet  — 

"  Justum  et  tenacem  propositi  virum 
Non  civium  ardor  prava  jubentium, 
Non  vultus  install tis  tyranni 
Mente  quatit  solida." 

Charlie  could  not  help  reflecting  upon  Ste- 
venson's anxiety  to  do  right,  and  contrasting  it 


186  OUDENDALE: 

with  his  own  indifference,  if  not  wickedness. 
He  saw  that  this  little  boy  was  far  purer  and 
better  than  himself,  and  for  the  moment  he  felt 
the  voice  of  conscience  reproving  him,  and 
urging  him  to  turn  ere  it  was  too  late.  For 
perhaps  the  twentieth  time  since  Christmas  he 
resolved  to  try  and  be  "  better,"  and  for  the 
twentieth  time  forgot  all  about  his  good  reso- 
lutions in  half  an  hour. 

The  next  day  Charlie  was  kept  in  by  Mr. 
Campion  to  write  an  imposition.  When  he 
had  finished  it,  the  first  thing  that  met  his  eyes 
on  coming  out  into  the  quadrangle  was  a  crowd 
of  boys  rushing  into  the  great  schoolroom,  in 
which  there  seemed  to  be  some  matter  of  inter- 
est going  on. 

"What's  all  the  row  about?"  he  asked 
Gordon,  who  came  running  uj)  just  then. 

"  That  bully  Edmonds  wanted  Baby  Steven- 
son to  do  his  lessons,  and  he  wouldn't ;  so 
Edmonds  gave  him  a  fearful  kicking,  and  half 
murdered  him.  Cholmondeley  found  out  about 
it,  and  the  monitors  are  holding  a  meeting  in 
the  great  schoolroom  to  decide  what's  to  be 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  187 

done  to  Edmonds.  I  hope  lie'll  catch  it.  Come 
on  quick,  and  see  the  fun  ;  "  and  he  set  off  at 
a  run,  accompanied  by  Charlie,  wlio  now  re- 
membered his  conversation  with  Stevenson  the 
day  before,  but  said  notliing  to  Gordon  about  it. 
They  elbowed  their  way  into  the  great 
schoolroom,  and  stood  in  the  middle  of  the 
crowd  who  were  eagerly  watching  the  proceed- 
ings. All  the  monitors  but  one  or  two  were 
gathered  together  at  the  other  end  of  the  room, 
and  Clark  was  holding  a  cane  in  a  fidgety,  im- 
patient manner,  which  boded  no  good  to  Ed- 
monds, who  stood  in  a  corner,  his  sullen  fea- 
tures now  filled  with  an  expression  of  craven 
fear ;  for  though  bullies  are  very  fond  of  in- 
flicting pain  on  others,  they  are  generally  very 
much  afraid  of  bearing  it  themselves.  Opposite, 
two  boys  were  supporting  Stevenson,  who  had 
one  of  his  legs  bandaged  up,  and  was  looking 
very  pale  and  nervous.  He  was  quite  a  hero 
for  the  time  being,  both  in  his  pluck  in  suffer- 
ing so  much  pain  rather  than  do  wrong,  and 
from  his  firmness  in  refusing  to  accuse  Ed- 
monds. 


188  OUDENDALE: 

"  I  would  rather  not  say  anything  about  it — 
I  don't  wish  to  tell  —  I  don't,  really,"  he  was 
saying  as  Charlie  and  Gordon  entered  the  room. 

"  He's  a  jolly,  plucky  little  fellow,"  whispered 
Gordon  in  an  approving  manner  to  Charlie. 
"  I  didn't  think  he  had  so  much  in  him." 

"Then  if  Stevenson  won't  tell  about  it,"  said 
one  of  the  monitors,  "  we  had  better  have  some 
witnesses.     Who  saw  it  done  ?  " 

"  "Witnesses  !  "  cried  Clarke,  impatiently. 
"The  brute  doesn't  deny  that  he  did  it,  surely." 

"  Hold  hard,  Clarke  ;  let  iis  do  everything 
all  right  and  proper.  Where  are  the  fellows 
who  saw  the  thing  done  ?  " 

Two  boys  then  came  forward  and  related  how 
they  had  found  Edmonds  kicking  Stevenson  as 
he  lay  on  the  ground,  crying,  and  begging 
Edmonds  to  leave  him  alone  ;  how  they  had 
said  it  was  a  shame,  and  how  Edmonds  had 
told  them  with  an  oath  to  mind  their  own 
business  or  he  should  treat  them  in  the  same 
way ;  and  how,  being  afraid  to  encounter  the 
bully,  though  indignant  at  his  treatment  of 
Stevenson,  they  had  gone  off  and  informed  the 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  189 

first  monitor  whom  tliey  met.  And  as  Clarke 
said,  Edmonds  himself  did  not  dispute  the  facts, 
though  if  he  could  have  invented  a  sufficiently 
plausible  lie,  doubtless  he  would  have  done  so. 
But  he  was  too  frightened  to  invent  lies  now, 
and  the  air  of  bravado  which  he  tried  to  assume 
scarcely  disguised  his  trembling  cowardice. 

Having  heard  this  statement,  the  monitors 
were  all  agreed  to  a  certain  extent  about  what 
was  to  be  done.  Some  of  them  thought  that  it 
was  wrong  for  any  one  to  bully,  others  were  of 
opinion  that  no  one  but  monitors  ought  to 
bully ;  but  all  were  agreed  that  it  was  wrong 
for  a  fourth-form  fellow  to  bully ;  so  that  the 
only  debate  was  what  his  punishment  should  be. 
The  usual  monitorial  punishment  for  bullying 
was  twenty-five  cuts  with  a  cane ;  but  as  this 
was  a  particularly  aggravated  case,  and  as 
Stevenson,  from  his  smallness,  inoffensiveness, 
and  his  generosity  in  refusing  to  accuse  Ed- 
monds, had  the  general  sympatliy,  Clarke  pro- 
posed that  Edmonds  should  have  fifty  cuts,  and 
this  was  seconded  by  several  of  the  more  im- 
petuous  and   indignant  of  the   monitors,  and 


190  OUDEXDALE: 

received  witn  great  applause  by  the  crowd  of 
bojs  who  filled  the  room  and  listened  with 
breathless  interest  to  the  deliberation. 

"  If  we  are  to  have  any  disputing,  the  room 
must  be  cleared,"  said  Cholmondeley. 

So  the  room  was  cleared,  and  the  boys  all 
waited  outside  with  eager  impatience  while  the 
monitors  held  a  debate  upon  the  number  of 
cuts  which  Edmonds  ought  to  receive.  Chol- 
mondeley said  that  twenty-five  would  be  quite 
enough,  reminding  them  that  they  must  not 
allow  their  indignation  to  get  the  better  of  their 
judgment ;  and  after  some  discussion  his  mo- 
tion was  carried  by  a  small  majority.  This 
having  been  settled,  the  door  was  opened  to 
admit  the  crowd  outside,  and  then  Edmonds, 
who  had  been  put  into  an  adjoining  room,  was 
brought  out  to  receive  his  punishment. 

Such  a  display  of  abject  cowardice  was  never 
witnessed  at  Oudendale.  As  the  strokes  of  the 
cane,  well  laid  on  by  the  five  senior  monitors, 
fell  on  the  bully's  shoulders,  he  howled  and 
bellowed,  and  rolled  about  on  the  floor,  scream- 
ing out  that  he  was  going  to  die,  and  begging 
for  mercy. 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  191 

"  No  fear  of  your  dying,"  cried  Clarke. 
"  You'll  live  to  get  twice  as  bad  a  thrashing 
the  next  time  you  are  caught  bullying." 

"  Oh,  I  won't  do  it  again  —  upon  my  honor 
—  I  really  won't !     Oh  dear,  oh  dear !  " 

"  I  don't  think  you  will,"  said  one  of  the 
monitors. 

"  Your  honor  !  "  exclaimed  another,  sarcas- 
tically. 

"  There  !  "  exclaimed  the  monitor  who  gave 
him  the  last  stroke,  flinging  away  the  cane  to 
the  other  end  of  the  room,  "  I  declare  such  a 
fellow  is  not  worth  licking." 

"  You  may  go  now,"  said  Cholmondeley, 
who  had  intended  to  make  a  suitable  address  to 
Edmonds,  but  seeing  that  he  was  not  in  a  con- 
dition to  attend  to  anything  of  the  sort,  re- 
served his  remarks  for  another  opportunity. 

But  Edmonds'  exit  was  not  allowed  to  be  a 
voluntary  one  ;  for  whenever  the  monitors  had 
done  with  him,  he  was  seized,  still  howling  and 
weeping,  dragged  out  and  kicked  round  the 
quadrangle,  among  a  storm  of  hisses,  groans, 
and  jeers. 


192  OUDENDALE. 

Mr.  Campion  happened  to  pass  by,  and  sa-w 
the  commotion. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  he  asked  Bill  Rufus. 

"  One  of  the  young  gentlemen  has  been 
bullying,  sir,"  said  Bill,  touching  his  hat, "  and 
the  monitors  took  it  up." 

"  Oh,"  said  Mr.  Campion,  passing  on,  and 
taking  no  further  notice. 

By  the  general  sentence  of  public  opinion 
Edmonds  was  also  "  sent  to  Coventry."  This 
ostracism  was  kept  up  for  a  little  time  ;  but 
virtuous  indignation,  especially  in  boys,  is  too 
ephemeral,  and  Edmonds  was  too  cunning  to 
allow  this  state  of  things  to  last.  He  happened 
to  receive  soon  afterwards  a  hamper  containing 
sundry  cakes,  bottles  of  wine,  and  other  luxu- 
ries, and,  alas  for  the  weakness  of  boy-nature  ! 
there  were  many  who  found  it  convenient  to 
forget  his  offence,  and  share  his  good  things 
above  mentioned.  So,  before  long  he  was  in 
the  same  position  in  the  school  as  before  ;  but 
it  was  a  long  time  before  he  ventured  to  bully 
again. 


CHAPTER  XY. 

A  SUPPER. 

"  Le  r^gal  fut  fort  honnete 
Rien  ne  manquait  au  festin : 
Mais  quelqu'un  troubla  la  fete 
Pendant  qii'ils  etaient  en  train. 
A  la  porte  de  la  salle 
lis  entendirent  du  bruit." 

Dp:  La  Fontaine. 

"  Now,  you  fellows,"  said  Henrys  one  night 
to  the  boys  who  slept  in  No.  5,  "  you  see  and 
go  off  to  your  beds  at  once,  and  don't  kick  up 
any  row.  I've  no  end  of  an  examination  in 
old  Thicksides  to  get  up,  and  must  set  to  it  at 
once.  Campion,  you  come  with  me  and  help 
me  to  look  up  some  of  the  words." 

"  Ahem ! "  said   Dale,   as   Charlie   rose  and 

was  following  Henrys.     "  You  will  be  no  end 

of  a  swell  at  Greek  soon,  if  you  go  on  helping 

Henrys  in  his   Thucydides.     It  was   a  Latin 
13 


194  OUDENDALE: 

composition  you  had  to  do,  Henrys,  last  time, 
wasn't  it  ?  " 

"  You  shut  up,"  said  Henrys ;  and  he  and 
Charlie  left  the  room  amid  a  shout  of  laughter, 
for  all  the  boys  knew  perfectly  well  what  they 
were  going  to  be  about. 

"  We  are  going  to  have  a  jolly  feed  in  Bran- 
low's  study  to-night,"  said  Henrys,  when  they 
had  got  out  of  the  room  into  the  passage.  "  1 
got  leave  to  bring  you.  It  may  be  the  last  we 
are  to  have  for  a  while,  for  I  hear  that  Saint 
Cholmondeley  is  going  to  have  his  study  in  the 
West  House  after  Easter,  and  I  suppose  he'll 
kick  up  a  row  if  we  try  to  have  any  fun." 

Henrys  then  led  the  way  to  one  of  the  studies 
at  the  back  of  the  house,  which  looked  out 
vipon  the  Master's  garden.  There  they  found 
five  or  six  other  boys  assembled:  Branlow,  a 
monitor,  Handyside,  and  two  other  fifth-form 
fellows,  and  a  small,  pretty,  curly-haired  boy 
from  the  lower  school,  called  Dunnismore,  a 
protege  of  Handyside,  who  took  a  delight  in 
prostituting  his  innocence,  and  teaching  his 
lips  to  prattle  filthiness  and  blasphemy. 


A   TALE   OF   SCIIOOLr.OY    LIFE.  195 

"  What  arc  you  bringing  tliat  fellow  for  — 
hang  him?"  growled  Handyside,  as  Henrys 
and  Charlie  entered.  "  We  had  quite  enough 
without  him." 

''Why  did  you  bring  Dunnismore,  then?" 
retorted  Henrys. 

Handyside  did  not  reply,  except  by  a  half- 
audible  oath. 

"  Come,  now,  you  needn't  fight  about  it," 
said  Branlow.  "  The  more,  the  merrier.  Fork 
out  the  beer,  Harrison." 

A  boy  who  had  been  superintending  some 
culinary  preparations  at  the  fire,  took  several 
bottles  of  beer  from  a  dilapidated  coal  scuttle, 
and  placed  them  on  the  table.  Then  the  supper 
commenced.  The  solids  were  not  particularly 
plentiful  or  luxurious,  and  soon  disappeared ; 
but  it  was  evident  that  the  main  business  of 
the  evening  was  drinking  beer  and  strong  ale. 
Branlow  also  brought  out  a  half-emptied  brandy 
bottle,  intimating  that  there  was  more  in  the 
room  if  it  was  needed  —  and  then  the  party 
proceeded  to  enjoy  themselves.  They  had  a 
game  at  cards,  and  then  Handyside   proposed 


196  OUDEXDALE: 

that  Diiiinismore  should  sing  them  an  immoral 
song  which  he  had  taught  him ;  but  this  pro- 
posal Branlow  at  once  negatived. 

"  No,  no,"  he  said,  hastily.  "  You'll  have 
some  of  the  masters  after  us." 

"  Well,  you  can  keep  your  song  till  another 
time,  Dunny.  I  suppose  we  may  smoke, 
though." 

''  As  much  as  you  like.  But  you  had  better 
open  that  window  first.  Here  are  some  jolly 
cigars  I  got  at  Evans's  yesterday.     Try  one." 

The  windows  were  flung  open,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  they  were  nearly  all  sitting  near  it, 
with  cigars  in  their  mouths. 

"  This  is  a  first-rate  cigar,"  said  Dunnismore, 
looking  at  it  very  knowingly. 

"  Not  bad,"  assented  Branlow.  "  But  what 
do  you  know  about  it,  you  young  shrimp  ?  " 

"  Oh,  Dunny  will  soon  be  a  first-rate  judge 
of  tobacco,"  said  Handyside.  "  I  believe  he 
knows  a  cabbage  leaf  from  a  Havannah  already, 
don't  you,  Dunny  ?  You're  not  a  fool,  npr  a 
muff  either !  " 

"  I  should  say  not,"  said  the  little  boy,  in  a 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  197 

manner  which  would  have  disgusted  every 
right-minded  person,  but  which  only  delighted 
his  auditors.  "  I  know  a  thing  or  two,  and 
I'm  game  for  whatever  you  like." 

"That's  right!"  said  Henrys,  admiringly. 
"  You'll  grow  up  a  manly  fellow,  and  not  a 
muff.  We'll  drhik  your  health.  There,  Cam- 
pion, you're  not  taking  anything,"  and  Henrys 
pushed  a  glass  of  brandy  and  water  across  the 
table  to  Charlie,  who  drunk  it  off. 

At  any  other  time,  Charlie's  good  sense  and 
the  remnants  of  right  feeling  which  he  had  left 
would  have  made  him  revolt  at  the  spectacle 
little  Dunnismore  presented,  so  young  and  yet 
so  depraved ;  for  though  we  may  often  fail  to 
see  the  abomination  of  sin  in  ourselves,  it  is 
more  clearly  seen  in  another.  But  now  he  had 
been  so  confused  and  excited  by  the  ale  and 
brandy  which  Henrys  had  pressed  him  to  drink, 
that  he  scarcely  knew  what  he  was  doing,  or 
what  was  going  on  around  him. 

"  Hang  it.  Campion,  why  are  you  so  glum  ?  " 
said  Henrys,  slapping  him  on  the  back.  "  Take 
some  more  brandy,  man.     You  must  come  to 


198  OUDENDALE: 

some  rare  spreads  which  we  are  going  to  have 
on  Sunday  afternoons.  Some  of  us  are  going 
to  have  a  club,  and  you  must  join  us.  We 
shall  call  our  spreads  not  the  Saturnalia,  but 
the  ^ndaynalia.  Ask  your  cousin,  with  my 
compliments,  whether  that  isn't  a  very  classical 
idea.     You  must  join  us." 

Charlie  smiled  a  silly  smile,  which  Henrys 
took  for  assent. 

'-'  I  say,"  cried  one  of  the  fifth-form  fellows, 
"  wouldn't  it  be  fun  if  old  Eden  was  walking 
in  his  garden  this  fine  moonlight  night,  and 
smelt  us  smoking,  and  came  up  to  see  if  the 
place  was  on  fire  ?  " 

"  If  he  did,  we  should  come  to  grief,"  re- 
marked another. 

'*  *  If  ifs  and  ands  were  pots  and  pans,  there 
would  be  no  trade  for  tinkers,'"  quoted  Han- 
dyside.  "  But  you  needn't  suggest  any  such 
event  as  probable,  Harrison,  or  perhaps  it  may 
really  happen." 

"  Why  not  ? "  said  Harrison,  laughing. 
''  Upon  my  honor,  it  would  be  splendid  fun  to 
see  Eden  stalk  in  and  give  us  one  of  his  grand 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  199 

frowns  all  round.  Henrys !  Branlow !  Cam- 
pion !  What  is  the  meaning  of  all  this  ?  "  and 
Harrison  threw  himself  into  an  attitude  of 
surprise,  and  imitated  Dr.  Eden's  voice. 

"  Confound  you,  Harrison,  don't  humbug 
Eden,"  said  Branlow.  "  He's  a  jolly  fellow,  I 
can  tell  you." 

"Of  course  he  is,"  assented  Harrison.  "But 
it  would  be  such  fun  if  he  came  in  and  caught 
us  all  here." 

"  Give  us  Dr.  Eden  preaching,  Harrison," 
cried  Handyside.  "  Come  on  now.  Hold  your 
tongues,  you  fellows  !  B-e member,  you  are  in 
chapel." 

"  Do  you  want  a  sermon  ? "  said  Harrison, 
springing  up  on  a  chair. 

He  was  just  about  to  imitate  Dr.  Eden 
preaching,  when  some  one  exclaimed,  "  What 
noise  is  that  at  the  door  ?  "  and  they  all  sprung 
to  their  feet. 

"  Let  me  in,"  said  a  voice  of  authority,  and 
some  one  was  heard  fumbling  at  the  door, 
which  was  locked. 

The  boys  stared  at  one  another,  and  for  a 


200  OUDENDALE: 

moment  did  not  know  what  to  do.  But,  re- 
covering himself,  Handyside  dashed  forward, 
and  began  to  conceal  the  remnants  of  the 
supper.  But  it  was  no  use,  for  the  voice  again 
demanded  admittance  in  a  louder  tone,  and  the 
door  being  reluctantly  unlocked  by  Branlow, 
Dr.  Eden  entered,  followed  by  Bill  Rufus. 

The  scene  may  now  be  imagined.  For  a 
moment  there  was  an  uncomfortable  silence, 
while  Dr.  Eden  gazed  sternly  and  yet  sorrow- 
fully at  the  boys,  who  stood  before  him  with 
downcast  and  sheepish  looks.  The  empty 
bottles,  and  the  smell  of  tobacco,  told  him  at 
once  what  had  been  taking  place. 

"  Did  you  not  know  that  I  had  forbidden 
suppers  after  prayers  ?  "  he  asked,  at  length. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  answered  Branlow,  looking  ra- 
ther foolish. 

"  And  did  I  not  trust  to  your  honor  to  see 
that  my  orders  were  obeyed  ?  " 

No  one  answered. 

"  Enough,"  said  Dr.  Eden.  "  Since  I  can- 
not trust  to  the  honor  of  my  monitors,  I  do  not 
wonder   at  younger   boys  doing   such   things. 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  203 

For  the  present,  go  to  your  beds.     I  shall  have 
more  to  say  about  this  to-morrow." 

One  by  one  the  boys  went  out  of  the  room, 
while  Dr.  Eden  took  down  their  names.  Char- 
lie immediately  made  his  way  to  his  room, 
where  the  other  boys  were  by  this  time  all 
asleep,  and  throwing  off  his  clothes,  he  laid  his 
burning,  throbbing  head  upon  his  pillow,  and 
slept  a  troubled,  uneasy  sleep.  He  was  too 
excited  by  what  he  had  drunk  to  feel  fear  for 
the  consequences  of  his  folly ;  but  he  had  a 
vague,  confused  feeling  of  unutterable  wretch-^ 
edness  —  a  feeling  which  is  part  of  the  bitter 
wages  sin  gives  to  its  servants. 


CHAPTER  XYI. 

THE. DAWN  OF  LIGHT. 

"  I  hold  it  truth,  with  one  who  sings 
To  one  clear  harp  in  diverse  tones. 
That  men  may  rise  on  stepping-stones 
Of  their  dead  selves,  to  higher  things." 

Tennyson. 

The  next  .morning  Charlie  awoke  in  no  envi- 
able frame  of  mind.  He  had  a  dull  headache 
and  a  feeling  of  lassitude,  which  were  the  nat- 
ural consequences  of  the  last  night's  revelry, 
and  want  of  sound,  quiet  sleep  ;  and  he  felt 
thoroughly  ashamed  and  disgusted  at  himself. 
Then  the  other  boys  in  the  room,  when  they 
heard  what  had  happened,  seemed  not  at  all 
sorry  at  their  being  found  out,  though  it  is  to 
be  feared  that  this  was  rather  from  jealousy 
than  from  any  assumption  of  superior  virtue. 

"  I'm  not  sorry  for  it,"  said  Dale,  while  they 
were  dressing,  Henrys  appearing  to  be  asleep. 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  203 

"  It  serves  Henrys  quite  right.  He  won't  be 
able  to  be  so  particular  about  sending  us  off  to 
bed  after  this,  or  we  can  ask  him,  '  Who  was 
twigged  by  Eden  at  a  supper  in  Branlow's 
study  ?  '  You  see  you  haven't  got  much  good 
by  being  the  confidential  friend  of  our  esteemed 
monitor,  Campion.  I  can  tell  you  that  you 
will  likely  be  flogged,  and  then  you  won't  be  in 
a  hurry  to  go  to  suppers  with  Henrys  again." 

"  You  needn't  talk.  Dale,"  said  Charlie, 
peevishly.  "  You  know  you  would  have  gone 
yourself  if  Henrys  had  asked  you." 

"Would  I?"  said  Dale,  in  an  uncertain 
tone  ;  for  his  conscience  told  him  that  this  was 
the  truth.  "  At  all  events,  you  are  in  for  a 
flogging." 

"  No,  he  isn't,"  cried  Gordon.  "  He'll  get 
off  with  five  hundred  lines." 

"  I'll  take  you  any  bet  it  will  be  a  flogging. 
And  Henrys,  of  course  he  won't  be  flogged,  but 
he'll  have  to  go  down  a  form,  or  write  some 
whopping  impo'." 

"  No,  he  won't,"  roared  Henrys,  suddenly 
sitting  up  in  his  bed,  and  hurling  one  of  his 


204  OUDENDALE: 

boots  at  the  prognosticator  of  evil ;  whereupon 
all  discussion  upon  the  subject  came  to  an  end. 

Charlie's  companions  of  the  night  before  all 
more  or  less  shared  his  feelings,  and  looked 
forward  with  no  great  pleasure  or  confidence 
to  the  interview  with  Dr.  Eden  which  they 
expected,  and  to  which  they  were  summoned 
after  breakfast.  But  Charlie  and  Dunnismore 
at  least  were  agreeably  disappointed ;  for  Dr. 
Eden,  after  shortly  rebuking  them  for  their 
folly,  said  that  he  should  not  punish  them,  as 
they  had  been  led  astray  by  the  example  of 
those  who  should  have  known  and  acted  better. 
The  fifth-form  boys  got  a  book  of  Livy  to  write 
out ;  but  when  the  Master  came  to  Branlow 
and  Henrys,  he  began  to  "  thunder  and  light- 
ning" at  them,  as  the  boys  used  to  call  it ;  for 
a  breach  of  confidence,  or  any  other  dishonora- 
ble action,  would  change  liis  usually  calm  man- 
ner into  a  terrific  storm  of  indignation,  before 
which  even  the  boldest  and  most  hardened 
could  not  help  quailing. 

"  Since  you  have  showed  me  how  little  you 
appreciate  the  confidence  whicli  I  placed  in  you, 


A  TALE  OF   SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  205 

you  can  no  longer  remain  monitors.  Black  and 
Purcell  will  take  your  places.  You  may  go  now." 

They  all  slunk  out,  looking  very  much 
ashamed  of  themselves,  except  Branlow,  who 
remained  behind  the  rest^  and  said,  in  an 
agitated  manner,  "  I  see  I  have  done  wrong, 
sir.  I  hope  you  will  believe  that  I  am  sorry, 
and  will  try  to  show  you  that  I  am  not  alto- 
gether unworthy  to  be  trusted." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it,"  said  the  Master,  his 
sternness  vanishing  all  at  once.  "  Prove  that 
you  are  sorry,  and  wish  to  amend,  and  we  will 
forget  that  this  has  ever  happened." 

"  I  will  try,  sir,"  said  Branlow,  energetically. 
"  I  am  worse,  far  worse  than  you  think ;  but  I 
often  wish  to  be  better,  and  I  will  really  try 
this  time." 

"Ah,  Branlow,  be  sure  to  try  the  right  way," 
said  Dr.  Eden,  solemnly.  ''Don't  trust  to  your 
own  strength,  but  ask  God  for  the  help  of  his 
Spirit.  Without  him  we  can  do  nothing  — 
nothing.  And,  by  the  by,"  added  Dr.  Eden, 
as  Branlow  turned  towards  the  door,  "  can  you 
not  do  something  to  get  that  poor  child,  Dun- 


206  OUDKS^DALE: 

iiismore,  out  of  the  society  into  which  he  has 
fallen  ?  You  have,  I  fear,  much  to  answer  for 
in  teaching  him  to  offend  against  God  ;  the  least 
you  can  do  is  to  keep  Inm  from  further  evil." 
"  I  will  try,  sir,'*"  said  Branlow,  eagerly  tak- 
ing the  hand  which  Dr.  Eden  held  out  to  him, 
and  then  hurridd  out  of  the  room. 
,  Branlow's  disposition  was  not  unlike  Char- 
'  lie's,  and  he  had  learned  evil  in  much  the  same 
manner  as  Charlie  was  now  experiencing.  He 
had  had  right  principles  instilled  into  him  by 
kind  and  judicious  parents,  and  when  he  first 
came  to  Oudendale  had  been  comparatively  free 
from  the  knowledge  and  practice  of  vice.  But 
his  good-natured,  yielding  disposition  had  both 
procured  him  many  friends,  and  had  fitted  him 
•to  be  more  easily  led  astray  by  the  bad  example 
which  some  of  them  set  him.  Little  by  little  he 
had  gone  deep  into  the  waters  of  sin,  first  with 
cautious  and  unwilling  steps,  then  with  bolder 
plunges,  till  at  length  he  was  hurrying  down 
in  the  mid-current,  unable  to  reach  the  shore, 
on  which  he  often  looked  back  with  regret. 
None  knew  of  Branlow's  better  thoughts,  but 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY   LIFE.  207 

all  saw  that  he  was  considered  one  of  the  ring- 
leaders of  about  the  worst  set  in  the  school. 

Henrys  tried  to  bear  out  his  disgrace  with 
an  air  of  bravado,  though  in  his  heart  he  was 
deeply  mortified.  Meeting  Charlie  in  the  quad- 
rangle, after  morning  school,  he  cried,  ''Hallo, 
Campion  !  have  you  got  over  the  edifying  ser- 
mon which  Dr.  Eden  preached  us  this  morn- 
ing ?  I  expected  to  find  you  weeping  over  it 
yet.  Look  here,  old  boy  ;  come  out  this  after- 
noon with  Handyside  and  me.  We're  going 
to  have  such  a  lark  at  —  " 

"  I  don't  want  to  have  anything  more  to  do 
with  any  of  your  larks,"  interrupted  Charlie, 
crossly.  "  I'm  going  to  walk  with  some  other 
fellows  this  afternoon." 

"  Oh,  very  well.  Just  as  you  please,  of 
course,"  said  Henrys,  rather  coldly. 

Charlie  walked  off;  and  that  afternoon 
Henrys  and  Handyside  met  him  rambling  on 
the  banks  of  the  Ouden  with  Lurn  and  Ste- 
venson. Henrys  took  no  notice  of  him,  but 
thought  to  himself,  as  he  passed  on  — 

"  Very  well.  Master  Campion,  so  you   cut 


208  OUDENDALE: 

me  for  Cubby  Lurn  and  Baby  Stevenson,  do 
you  ?  You'll  see  what  I  shall  have  to  say  to 
you  the  next  time  you  want  to  come  with  me." 
Charlie  never  did  seek  Henrys'  society  again, 
but,  on  the  contrary,  carefully  avoided  it.  See- 
ing this,  Henrys  was  very  angry,  and  took  a 
dislike  to  him,  as  sudden  and  violent  as  his 
attachment  had  formerly  been.  If  Henrys  had 
continued  to  be  captain  of  the  bedroom,  this 
would  have  been  rather  unpleasant  for  Charlie  ; 
but  he  was  sent  off  to  another  room,  and  Pur- 
cell,  one  of  the  new  monitors,  took  his  place. 

The  next  day  was  Sunday  ;  and  on  Tuesday 
the  college  was  to  break  up  for  the  Easter 
holidays.  Charlie  paid  more  attention  to  the 
service  this  morning  than  he  usually  did,  and 
it  was  not  without  some  earnestness  that  he 
joined  in  the  prayer,  "  Give  unto  thy  servants 
that  peace  which  the  world  cannot  give,  that 
our  hearts  may  be  set  to  obey  thy  command- 
ments." And  though  his  thoughts  often  wan- 
dered, he  felt  more  as  he  once  had  felt,  when 
he  knelt  by  his  mother's  side  in  the  church  at 
Bath,  and  joined  in  her  fervent  praises  of  the 
God  of  love. 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  209 

After  the  service  Dr.  Eden  made  an  announce- 
ment, which  was  interesting  to  many  of  the 
boys.  He  said  that  the  Bishop  of  the  Diocese 
had  consented  to  have  a  Confirmation  at  the 
college  that  summer,  and  he  wished  them  all 
to  know  this,  that  those  who  wished  to  come 
forward  might  consult  their  parents,  and  re- 
flect upon  it  during  the  holidays. 

Charlie  'took  a  solitary  walk  that  Sunday, 
and  thought  about  this  announcement.  He 
owned  to  himself,  with  some  sorrow,  that  he 
was  not  what  he  once  had  been,  and  the  wish 
to  be  better  rose  up  in  him  more  strongly  than 
ever.  He  knew  that  his  mother  had  wished 
him  to  be  confirmed,  and  he  had  an  idea  that 
the  ceremony  in  itself  had  something  of  a  sanc- 
tifying nature.  He  resolved  to  go  and  ask  Mr. 
Campion's  advice  about  it;  for  though  his 
cousin  had  lately  been  rather  cold  to  him, 
thinking  him  a  hopeless  case,  Charlie  could 
not  help  but  feel  that  he  had  a  deep  interest  in 
his  welfare. 

Accordingly,  after  tea,  he  went  to  Mr.  Cam- 
pion's room. 

14 


210  OUDEKDALE: 

"  Ah,  Charles,"  said  Mr.  Campion.  "  Can 
I  do  anything  for  you  ?  " 

"  I  came  —  that  is,  I  wanted  —  to  speak  —  to 
ask  you  about  being  confirmed,"  said  Charlie. 

Mr.  Campion  felt  a  little  surprised,  and  he 
thought  to  himself,  "  Can  it  be  that  the  Spirit 
of  God  has  been  working  in  his  own  way  in 
this  boy,  while  I  thought  him  every  day  sinking 
deeper  and  deeper  into  sin  ? " 

"  Why  do  you  wish  to  be  confirmed  ?  "  he 
asked. 

"  My  mother  always  wished  me  to,"  answered 
Charlie. 

"Yes;  but  do  you  feel  it  to  be  your  own 
earnest  wish?  In  partaking  of  the  rite  of 
confirmation,  you  solemnly  vow  that  it  is  your 
wish  to  leave  all  the  pleasures  of  sin,  and  keep 
all  the  commandments  of  God.  Would  it  be 
right  to  make  such  a  solemn  vow,  merely  be- 
cause your  mother  —  however  loved  and  es- 
teemed —  desired  it  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Charlie,  looking  on  the  ground, 
and  speaking  very  low ;  "  but  I  know  that  I 
haven't  done  right  for  a  good  while,  and  I 
would  like  to  be  better." 


A  TALE   OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  211 

"  111  other  words,  to  try  and  servo  God." 

"  Yes  ;  I  thought  that  I  should  like  to  be 
confirmed." 

"  But,  my  dear  boy,  I  fear  you  may  have 
mistaken  the  nature  of  confirmation.  This  is 
not  an  ordinance  which  of  itself  can  do  you  any 
good  :  it  is  merely  a  public  avowal  of  faith  and 
willingness  to  serve  God." 

"  Then  do  you  think  that  I  should  not  be 
confirmed  ?  " 

"  Far  from  it.  I  am  merely  cautioning  you 
against  supposing  that  confirmation  will  make 
you  better.  No,  Charles ;  only  the  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ  can  save  you  from  the  guilt  and 
power  of  sin,  and  his  blood  is  free  to  all  who 
repent  and  believe.  Dear  Charlie,  you  have 
grieved  me  often  lately  by  your  conduct,  and 
you  don't  know  how  glad  I  should  be  to  see 
that  you  were  trying  to  leave  off  sin,  and  to 
walk  in  the  happy,  though  narrow  path,  which 
leads  to  heaven." 

"  I  really  wish  to,"  said  Charlie,  earnestly. 

"  Then  I  need  not  tell  you,  for  I  know  that 
your  mother  would  have  taught  you,  that  you 
must  not  trust  to  yourself,  but  must  look  for 


212  OUDENDALE. 

forgiveness  of  your  sins,  and  strength  to  do 
right,  from  God.  Pray  to  him  for  grace  to  lead 
a  new  life,  and  remember  that  he  has  promised 
to  hear  and  answer  all  such  prayers,  when  made 
in  true  repentance  and  faith.  But  I  cannot  stay 
with  you  longer,  as  I  have  to  go  to  a  service  in 
the  town.     Good-night,  and  God  bless  you." 

Charlie  wrung  his  hand,  but  said  nothing, 
and  left  the  room.  Mr.  Campion  gazed  out  of 
his  window  after  him  as  he  crossed  the  quad- 
rangle, and  exclaimed : 

"  0  Lord,  forgive  me  for  doubting  thy  power 
to  save,  and  being  so  easily  discouraged  from 
laboring  to  win  a  soul.  May  it  indeed  be  a 
true  work  of  grace  which  is  going  on  within 
his  soul,  and  may  it  be  perfected  in  thine  own 
way,  and  in  thine  own  time." 

Charlie  went  and  read  a  few  chapters  of  his 
Bible,  and  prayed  to  God  to  forgive  his  sins, 
and  made  all  sorts  of  good  resolutions  for  the 
future.  But  though  the  first  beams  of  the 
Light  of  the  world  were  dawning  upon  him,  he 
was  still  groping  in  the  dark  —  still  trusting 
too  much  to  his  own  endeavors,  and  not  look- 
ing solely  for  salvation  and  strength  to  Christ. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

REPENTANCE. 

"  Not  the  labors  of  my  hands 
Can  fulfil  Thy  law's  demands; 
Could  my  zeal  no  respite  know  — 
Could  my  tears  forever  flow; 
All  for  sin  could  not  atone : 
Thou  must  save,  and  Thou  alone." 

TOPLADY. 

The  next  day,  Charlie  resolved,  was  to  be 
passed  without  a  single  fault.  He  would  learn 
his  lessons  perfectly ;  he  would  be  diligent  and 
well-behaved  in  school ;  and  he  would  keep  a 
strict  watch  over  his  temper,  though  it  was  not 
in  this  last  respect  that  he  generally  failed. 

His  form  went  into  the  English  schoolroom 
before  breakfast  three  days  a  week,  of  which 
this  happened  to  be  one.  Tlie  English  master, 
Mr.  Seymour,  commonly  called  "  Starchey,"  was, 
as  has  been  mentioned,  not  a  man  to  interest 


214  OUDENDALE: 

his  pupils,  or  even  to  secure  their  attention  and 
respect.  This  morning  the  lesson  was  a  piece 
of  Shakspeare,  of  which  none  of  the  boys  under- 
stood the  beauty,  and  but  few  even  the  mean- 
ing ;  nor  did  Mr.  Seymour  endeavor  to  point  it 
out  to  them.  Charlie,  in  spite  of  his  resolve  to 
attend  most  diligently  to  all  the  lessons,  was 
soon  jDlunged  in  a  state  of  reflection — not  upon 
Shakspeare,  but  on  sundry  other  questions  of 
more  interest  to  him — such  as  when  the  Master 
would  allow  bathing  to  begin  ;  what  eleven  he 
would  be  in ;  whether  his  uncle  would  allow 
him  to  ask  Lurn  to  spend  part  of  the  long 
holidays  with  him,  and  so  forth.  He  had  just 
indulged  in  a  half-suppressed  yawn,  when  Mr. 
Seymour's  slow,  hard,  pompous  voice  said  : 

"  Will  you  have  the  goodness.  Campion,  to 
assume  the  semblance,  if  not  the  reality,  of 
attention  ?  Really,  I  almost  wish  that  you  did 
not  come  to  my  class  at  all,  rather  than  that 
you  should  come  merely  to  sleep  and  waste 
your  time." 

Charlie  obeyed  by  sitting  up  straight,  and 
looking  very  hard   on   his   book  ;   but  he  felt 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  215 

rather  provoked  at  Mr.  Seymour's  tone,  and 
revenged  himself  by  drawing  on  the  fly-leaf  of 
his  book  a  caricature  of  that  gentleman,  in  an 
enormous  white  necktie,  represented  as  caning 
two  small  boys,  and  delivering  to  them  sundry 
grave  maxims,  which  the  said  small  boys 
seemed  to  be  deriding,  if  it  might  be  judged 
from  the  expression  of  their  faces.  To  prevent 
misapprehension,  this  work  of  art  bore  beneath 
it,  in  large  and  legible  characters, "  Old  Starchey, 
alias  Don  Key."  Having  completed  this,  Char- 
lie tore  the  leaf  out  of  his  book,  and  passed  it 
up  the  class.  He  saw  the  boys  giggling  at  it, 
and  felt  gratified  that  his  artistic  powers  were 
appreciated ;  but  his  exultation  soon  came  to 
an  end.  Granville  Brown  was  sitting  at  the 
end  of  a  form,  and  when  the  boy  at  the  end  of 
the  next  form  handed  the  paper  over  to  him 
to  be  passed  up,  he  pushed  it  away  in  a  con- 
temptuous manner,  and  it  fluttered  on  to  the 
floor  right  before  Mr.  Seymour,  who  picked  it 
up  and  examined  it.  Charlie's  heart  beat  very 
fast,  and  the  eyes  of  nearly  the  whole  form 
were  turned  upon  him  and  Mr.  Seymour.     But 


216  OUDENDALE: 

Mr.  Seymour's  cold  and  impassive  face  did  not 
betray  any  annoyance.  Seeing  Charlie's  name 
on  the  leaf,  he  turned  to  him,  and  said  : 

"  Is  this  your  doing,  Campion  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  he  answered,  and  a  slight  titter 
arose. 

"  You  seem  to  think  it  a  very  amusing  thing 
to  insult  and  ridicule  your  master.  I  can  assure 
you  that  I  shall  not  trouble  myself  any  further 
with  you.     Tliis  shall  be  shown  to  Dr.  Eden." 

So  saying,  he  folded  up  the  paper,  and  Char- 
lie looked  rather  crestfallen  ;  for  he  had  now 
cause  to  dread  the  result  of  his  next  int(3rview 
with  the  Master.  Most  masters  would  have 
torn  the  paper  up  without  taking  any  further 
notice  of  it,  or,  at  the  most,  would  only  have 
inflicted  a  slight  imposition  on  the  too-clever 
young  artist ;  but  Mr.  Seymour  w^as  a  great 
stickler  for  his  dignity,  and  resolved  to  com- 
plain to  the  Master  about  such  an  insult.- 

But  this  was  not  the  only  scrape  into  which 
Charlie  was  destined  to  fall  that  day.  The  first 
lesson  after  breakfast  was  some  twenty  lines  of 
Virgil,  which  the  boys  were  supposed  to  learn 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  217 

off  by  heart.  But  the  fact  was,  that  most  of 
them  were  able  to  calculate  the  part  which 
would  come  to  their  turn,  and  learned  that  part 
only.  This  had  till  now  been  Charlie's  practice ; 
but  to-day,  remembering  his  good  resolutions,  he 
determined  to  learn  the  whole  lesson  honestly, 
and  accordingly  began  it  at  breakfast.  He 
would  have  had  lots  of  time  to  finish  it  before 
school  time,  but  as  soon  as  ever  breakfast  was 
finished,  Gordon  and  Lurn  came  running  up  to 
him  with  — 

"  0  Campion,  come  down  to  the  town,  be- 
fore school,  and  help  me  to  choose  a  bat.  It's 
my  birthday,  you  know,  and  I've  got  no  end 
of  tin,  and  am  going  to  buy  the  best  bat  in  the 
town.     You  must  come." 

Charlie  hesitated  for  a  moment,  but  the 
temptation  was  too  strong  to  be  resisted.  He 
left  the  Yirgil  to  take  care  of  itself,  and  went 
off  to  buy  the  bat ;  and  by  the  time  they  re- 
turned, the  bell  was  just  ringing,  and  he  had 
only  time  to  get  up  the  two  or  three  lines  which 
he  thought  would  fall  to  his  share. 

But  he  was  deceived  in  this,  or,  to  speak  ia 


218  OUDEKDALE: 

vulgar  language,  "  sold."  Gordon  sat  next 
above  him  that  day,  and  just  as  the  lesson 
commenced,  his  nose  began  to  bleed,  and  he 
had  to  leave  the  room  ;  so  that  Charlie  found 
himself  rather  out  in  his  calculations,  and  was 
called  upon  to  say  the  piece  immediately  before 
that  which  he  had  learned.  He  got  up  in  some 
confusion,  which  the  boy  below  him  observing, 
began  to  prompt  him.  Charlie  had  resolved 
not  to  listen  to  prompts,  for  he  felt  that  it  was 
not  honest ;  but  now  he  forgot  all  about  his 
resolution,  and  would  have  perhaps  managed 
to  stammer  through  by  his  friendly  neighbor's 
aid,  if  Mr.  Campion  had  not  detected  what  was 
going  on,  and  ordered  him  to  be  quiet.  De- 
prived of  this  help,  Charlie  of  course  could  not 
say  a  single  word,  and  stood,  looking  foolish. 

''  Have  you  learned  this  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Cam- 
pion, with  a  puzzled  and  surprised  look,  for  he 
had  hoped  that  Charlie  had  been  sincere  in  his 
desire  for  amendment. 

"  No,"  answered  Charlie,  looking  on  the 
ground. 

Mr.  Campion  felt  deeply  grieved,  and  thought 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  219 

to  himself,  with  a  sigh,  "his  good  resolutions 
have  only  left  a  momentary  impression.  At  all 
events,  I  cannot  make  a  distinction  between 
him  and  any  other  boy." 

"  Can  you  give  any  excuse  for  not  learning 
your  lesson  ? "  he  asked,  with  a  reproachful 
look. 

Charlie  fidgeted  about,  and  grew  red,  but 
could  make  no  answer. 

"  Then  I  cannot  pass  this  over.  This  is  the 
third  time  within  the  last  few  days  that  you 
have  failed  to  say  your  repetition.  I  must 
send  up  your  name  to  the  Master.     Next  boy !  " 

Charlie  sat  down  with  a  feeling  of  being 
discontented  with  everything,  especially  with 
himself.  He  was  not  alone  in  misfortune,  for 
all  the  boys  who  had  trusted  to  getting  a  certain 
piece  of  the  repetition  to  say,  were  of  course 
quite  put  out  by  Gordon's  absence,  and  several 
of  them  broke  down  completely.  Charlie  was 
the  only  one  sent  up  to  the  Master,  however ; 
the  rest  Mr.  Campion  sent  to  Mr.  Horsley  to 
be  caned. 

There  was  no  preparation  that  evening,  as  it 


220  OUDENDALE: 

was  the  last  day  before  the  Easter  holidays,  but 
soon  after  tea  Bill  Rufus  appeared  to  Charlie 
bearing  the  dreadful,  and,  to  sbme  ears,  familiar 
message,  "  The  Master  wants  to  see  you,  sir." 

Charlie  repaired  at  once  to  Dr.  Eden's  study, 
with  no  very  pleasing  forebodings  of  what  was 
to  come. 

"  Come  in,"  cried  the  Master  in  answer  to 
his  timid  knock.  "  Ah,  Campion,  is  it  you  ?  I 
am  sorry  to  say  that  I  have  received  two  com- 
plaints to-day  about  you  from  different  masters. 
I  cannot  pass  these  over,  though  I  am  very 
averse  to  flogging  any  boy  on  the  day  before 
the  holidays." 

Here  Dr.  Eden  paused,  as  if  to  give  Charlie 
an  opportunity  to  say  something  on  his  own  be- 
half, but  Charlie  said  nothing,  and  he  resumed  : 

"  I  am  sure  you  must  see  that  your  conduct 
since  you  came  to  the  school  has  not  been  what 
it  ought  to  be,  and  certainly  does  not  agree 
with  the  good  character  which  you  brought 
from  your  former  school.  Why  is  this  ?  Mr. 
Campion  tells  me  that  you  have  been  repeatedly 
punished  and  remonstrated  with :  and  if  nothing 


A  TALE  OF   SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  221 

else,  the  folly  and  punishment  of  Clement, 
whose  intimate  friend  I  hear  you  were,  might 
have  served  as  a  warning  and  example  to  you. 
Since  you  have  not  profited  by  these,  I  fear  that 
I  must  punish  you  more  severely ;  "  and  Dr. 
Eden  looiced  with  a  puzzled  and  indecisive  air 
at  Charlie,  who  gave  himself  up  for  lost,  and  said 
nothing.  Dr.  Eden  had  fully  made  up  his  mind 
to  flog  him ;  but  now  something,  he  scarcely 
knew  what,  made  him  hesitate.  As  he  gazed 
on  the  boy's  open  and  innocent-looking  face,  a 
new  thought  came  into  his  mind,  and  he  said, 
as  if  by  a  sudden  impulse  : 

"  Now,  Campion,  though  you  have  not 
hitherto  shown  it,  I  believe  you  to  be  capable 
of  better  things,  and  for  this  once  I  will  forgive 
you.  Only  for  this  once,  however,  remember. 
The  next  time  you  are  sent  up  to  me,  you  shall 
be  severely  punished.  In  the  meantime  you 
may  go,  and  I  hope  never  to  see  you  here  again 
under  similar  circumstances.  Show  me  that 
you  are  worthy  of  being  forgiven  for  the  past, 
and  trusted  for  the  future." 

Charlie  was  quite  amazed  at  this  unexpected 


222  OUDENDALE: 

termination  to  the  interview,  and  stammering 
out  something  about  being  sorry,  he  backed 
out  of  the  door,  and  hurried  away,  scarcely 
knowing  where  he  went. 

"  I  fear  that  it  is  of  no  use,"  sighed  Dr»  Eden 
to  himself,  thinking  of  Charlie's  silent  and  ap- 
parently indifferent  manner.  "  I  should  perhaps 
have  punished  him  at  once." 

In  the  meantime,  Charlie  was  rushing  across 
the  quadrangle  in  a  very  troubled  frame  of 
mind.  He  felt  as  if  he  were  the  greatest  scoun- 
drel possible,  and  should  like  to  go  at  once  and 
hurl  himself  over  the  bridge  into  the  Ouden,  or 
knock  his  head  against  the  school  gates,  or  do 
something  else  to  show  how  much  he  actually 
hated  himself  for  having  been  so  wicked. 

As  he  passed  through  the  gates,  little  Steven- 
son ran  up,  crying  — 

"  0  Campion,  this  locket  is  yours,  isn't  it  ? 
I  know  it  is,  because  the  picture  of  your  mam- 
ma is  in  it,  which  you  showed  me  one  day.  I 
found  it  lying  in  front  of  the  lower  school- 
room." 
Charlie  took  it  from  his  hand,  almost  mcchan- 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY   LIFE.  223 

ically,  and  passed  on  without  saying  a  word. 
On  through  the  gates,  down  the  road,  along  the 
green  banks  of  Ouden,  and  at  length  reaching 
a  spot  sheltered  by  bushes,  he  threw  himself 
down  on  the  ground,  and  then  first  looked  at 
the  locket  which  Stevenson  had  brought  to  him. 
The  pale,  calm  face  of  his  mother,  with  its  sad, 
sweet  smile,  seemed  to  be  living  and  breathing 
before  him  ;  and  suddenly  his  strained  feelings 
relieved  themselves  by  a  violent  burst  of  tears. 

On  the  one  hand,  all  his  sins  and  folly  seemed 
to  rise  up  against  him  in  one  single  moment; 
and  on  the  other,  all  his  mother's  wise  and 
loving  counsels  flashed  across  his  mind,  and 
mocked  him  with  an  image  of  what  he  might 
have  been,  and  was  not.  Do  not  sneer  at  this 
description  of  his  feelings.  There  are  many 
who  have  experienced  similar  ones ;  and  oh  ! 
can  there  be  a  deeper  grief,  and  yet  a  happier 
sight  for  the  angels  of  God,  than  a  young  heart 
weeping  for  the  sin  to  which  its  eyes  have  just 
been  opened  ? 

In  his  emotion,  Charlie  did  not  hear  footsteps 
coming  up  the  bank  of  the  Ouden   from  the 


224  OUDENDALE: 

opposite  direction,  nor  was  he  conscious  that 
any  one  was  near  him,  till  a  hand  was  laid  on 
his  shoulder,  and  a  sympathizing  voice  said : 

"  You  seem  unhappy." 

Charlie  hastily  lifted  up  his  face,  all  wet  with 
tears,  and  saw  Cholmondeley  standing  over  him. 

"  You  seem  unhappy.    Can  I  not  help  you  ?" 

Charlie  silently  shook  his  head.  Cholmon- 
deley sat  down  beside  him,  and  took  his  hand. 

"  Will  you  not  tell  liie  what  is  the  matter  ? 
I  wish  to  be  your  friend." 

"  Oh  —  I'm  not  happy  —  that's  all,"  said 
Charlie,  trying  to  dry  his  tears  ;  but  they  only 
came  faster  than  ever. 

"  Will  you  allow  me  to  ask  you  one  ques- 
tion ?  "  said  Cholmondeley,  after  a  pause. 
"  Mr.  Campion  told  me  to-day  that  you  wished 
to  be  confirmed.  Is  it  anything  to  do  with  this 
that  makes  you  unhappy  ?  " 

"  0  Cholmondeley,  that's  just  it !  "  cried 
Charlie,  in  a  sudden  burst  of  confidence.  *'  I'm 
unhappy  because  I  feel  myself  so  wicked.  You 
don't  know  how  wicked  I  am." 

"  But  why,  then,  be  wicked  any  longer  ?  " 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  225 

asked  Cholmondeley  quietly,  begimiiiig  to  pull 
a  piece  of  grass  to  pieces. 

"  Because  I  can't  help  it.  I've  tried,  and 
tried,  but  it's  no  use." 

"  You  can't  help  yourself,  I  know.  But 
Jesus  can  help  you,"  said  Cholmondeley,  in  a 
low,  yet  earnest  voice. 

"  Oh  no ;  I'm  not  good  enough.  I  wish  to 
be  good,  but  I  canH.'*^ 

"  I  know  you  can't.  Neither  you  nor  any 
one  else  can  of  themselves.  But  Jesus  is  both 
willing  and  able  to  make  you  good." 

Charlie  had  stopped  crying,  and  looked  very 
thoughtful. 

"  0   Campion,  why  won't  you  believe   this 

simple   truth  ?  "    cried  Cholmondeley,  looking 

into  Charlie's  face  with  an  earnest  expression. 

"  Look  here.    Here  is  the  whole  thing  as  simple 

as   possible.     We   by  nature  are   sinners,  and 

cannot  become  good  of  ourselves.     But  God  so 

loved  us  that  he  gave  his  only-begotten  Son  to 

be  tortured  and  crucified  as  a  sacrifice  for  our 

sins^ — the  just  for  the  unjust.     So,  if  we  only 

repent  and  believe,  Jesus  is  both  able  and  will- 
15 


226  OUDENDALE; 

ing  to  forgive  us  all  our  sins,  and  give  us 
strength  and  grace  to  lead  a  better  life.  This 
is  what  God  tells  us,  and  can  we  doubt  his 
word?" 

"  But  I  do  not  feel  fit  to  pray  to  Jesus,  who 
was  so  holy  and  so  pure." 

"  Doubting  again  !  Why,  your  feeling  your- 
self a  sinner  is  the  very  warrant  you  have  for 

the  aid  of  a  Saviour.     He  did  not  come  to  heal 

t 

those  who  thought  themselves  whole,  but  those 
who  felt  the  bvirden  of  their  sins,  and  wished 
to  be  free  from  them.  0  Campion,  don't  allow 
Satan  to  make  you  look  away  from  Christ ! 
Eemember  only  that  you  are  a  sinner,  and 
that  Christ  shed  his  blood  for  you  —  for  you. 
Millions  have  been  cleansed  of  greater  sins 
than  yours  in  that  precious  blood,  and  you  can 
be  cleansed  too,  if  you  will  only  believe." 

"  I  will  believe  —  \  do  believe  that  He  can 
save  me." 

"  That  He  has  saved  you.  If  you  trust  in 
Him,  He  will  not  deceive  you." 

Then,  kneeling  down  beside  the  bush,  Choi- 
mondeley  prayed  to  God  to  teach  Charlie  the 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  227 

truth,  and  help  him  to  embrace  it ;  and  he,  for 
his  part,  began  to  feel  dawning  on  him  the 
great  truth  that  Christ  came  into  the  world  not 
only  to  heal  men  of  their  bodily  diseases,  not 
only  to  teach  true  doctrine,  not  only  to  be  a 
wondrous  example  of  unspotted  virtue,  but  to 
save  poor,  helpless,  condemned  sinners  from 
the  guilt  and  power  of  their  sins. 

That  night  before  the  Easter  holidays  neither 
Charlie  nor  Cholmondeley  ever  forgot,  when  his 
soul  first  saw  how  far  it  had  wandered  from  the 
true  Light  of  the  World,  and  began  to  take  the 
first  uncertain  yet  eager  steps  on  the  narrow 
way  that  leadeth  to  eternal  life. 


CHAPTER  XVin. 


COUNSEL. 


"  Si  quid  novisti,  rectius  istis, 
Candidus  imperti;  si  non,  his  utere  mecurn/* 

Horace. 

"  Primrose  Hill. 

"  My  Dear  Cholmondeley  : 

"  I  write  to  you  as  I  promised  ;  but  as  I 
am  not  much  used  to  letter-writing,  you  must 
excuse  me  if  there  are  any  mistakes  in  this. 

"  Ever  since  that  night  when  you  found  me 
beside  the  Ouden,  I  have  been  thinking  about 
what  you  said,  and  trying  to  believe  ;  and  I  see 
it  all  now.  Jesus  Christ  has  died  for  me^  and 
he  will  cleanse  me  from  all  my  sins,  and  give 
me  a  new  heart.  My  mother  often  told  me 
all  this  when  she  was  alive,  and  I  am  sure  she 
tried  hard  enough  to  get  me  to  love  God :  but 
then  I  only  knew  it  with  my  mind;  now  I  seem 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  229 

to  know  it  in  my  heart.  I  can  hardly  explain 
what  I  mean,  but  I  daresay  you  understand 
me.  Isn't  it  wonderful,  to  think  that  God 
himself  came  down  from  heaven,  and  lived  a 
life  of  sorrow  and  hardship  for  thirty  years,  — 
was  tempted,  mocked,  betrayed,  falsely  accused, 
buffeted,  scourged,  spit  upon,  and  crucified,  — 
and  all  that  I  and  others  might  be  saved? 
And  how  wicked  it  was  of  me,  when  God  had 
done  all  this  for  mo,  never  to  try  and  please 
him,  or  to  doubt  that  he  loved  me,  and  was 
willing  to  save  me !  You  can't  think  how 
happy  I  felt  in  church  last  Sunday  when  they 
were  singing  — 

*  Jesus  Christ  is  risen  to-day.    Hallelujah! 
Hymns  of  praise  then  let  us  sing 
Unto  Christ  oar  heavenly  Kin<^; 
Who  endured  the  cross  and  grave, 
Sinners  to  redeem  and  save.    Hallelujah! ' 

"  I  have  found  out  already  that  we  can  never 
be  really  happy  unless  we  are  trying  to  serve 
.God.  But  I  woiild  be  happier  still,  I  believe, 
if  I  were  not  always  afraid  of  sinning  again  and 
displeasing  him.  But  I  always  try  and  trust 
in  Jesus,  that  he  will  help  me  to  do  right.     I 


230  OUDENDALE: 

sec  now  why  the  good  resolutions  which  I  used 
to  make  always  came  to  nothing.  I  used  to 
trust  to  myself,  and  not  to  the  help  of  God.  I 
know  that  I  am  far  from  being  what  I  ought  to 
be  ;  but  I  pray  to  God  that  he  will  show  me 
what  I  ought  to  do,  and  teach  me  to  do  it. 
Sometimes  I  think  to  myself  (I  suspect  it  is 
Satan  tempting  me),  'I  am  not  good  enough  to 
please  God:  it's  no  use  me  trying.  I  don't  love 
him  enough.'  Then  I  always  try  to  remember 
something  which  I  recollect  my  mother  used  to 
say, — 'That  we  should  look  not  so  much  at  our 
little  love  to  God,  as  at  his  great  love  to  us.' 

"  I  declare  I  don't  know  how  I  ever  came  to 
write  such  a  long  letter  (for  me  at  least),  and, 
looking  over  it,  I  see  it  is  quite  like  a  sermon. 
I  only  intended  writing  a  few  lines  to  say  that 
I  was  trying  to  do  right,  but  somehow  or  other 
a  whole  lot  of  things  came  into  my  head,  and  I 
couldn't  help  sticking  them  down. 

"  This  is  a  nice  enough  place  to  live  at,  — 
some  people  would  like  it,  at  least,  —  but  I 
would  rather  be  at  Oudendale.  My  uncle  and 
aunt  and  cousins  are  very  kind,  and  all  that  sort 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  231 

of  thing,  and  want  to  make  me  enjoy  myself,  but 
they  are  awfully  polite  and  stuck  up.  I  don't 
think  I  have  seen  my  uncle  laugh  once  since  I 
came  ;  and  if  I  make  the  least  noise  in  the 
house,  or  help  myself  to  anything  at  dinner 
before  the  footman  brings  it  to  me,  or  get  my 
feet  wet,  my  aunt  makes  as  much  row  as  if  the 
whole  place  were  on  fire,  and  all  the  children 
had  the  scarlet  fever.  Then  my  cousins  are  just 
the  same,  though  we  are  great  friends.  They 
are  obliged  to  speak  French  all  the  forenoon, 
and  Monsieur  Legrais  will  be  able  to  tell  you, 
when  you  go  back  to  Oudendale,  that  I  am  not 
able  to  talk  much  to  them  till  dinner-time, 
after  which  English  is  allowed.  I  can't  see 
why  people  don't  like  their  own  language. 
English  is  worth  two  of  French,  any  day. 

"  But  now  I  must  finish,  for  I  have  no  more 
room,  and  nothing  more  to  tell  you.  I  hope 
you  will  write  to  me  as  you  promised,  and  re- 
member to  give  me  lots  of  good  advice,  for  I 
am  terribly  afraid  of  going  wrong. 
I  am,  yours  truly, 

Charles  J.  Campion." 


232  OUDENDALE: 

"  I  don't  know  how  it  is,"  said  Charlie  to 
himself,  as  he  sealed  this  letter,  "  that  I  can  be 
so  familiar  with  Cholmondeley.  I  write  to  him 
just  as  I  would  write  to  Lurn,  or  some  other 
fellow  in  my  own  form." 

In  due  time  the  answer  to  this  arrived,  and 
was  as  follows : 

"  Cltstdale  Hall,  Deton. 

"  My  Dear  Campion  : 

"  I  got  your  letter  all  right,  and  was  very 
glad  to  hear  that  you  are  beginning  to  remem- 
ber your  Creator  and  Saviour.  May  he  prove 
to  you  as  precious  as  he  has  been  to  me.  Oh, 
how  pleasant  are  the  paths  of  true  wisdom  and 
virtue,  and  to  what  a  blessed  city  do  they  lead 
us !  There  are  many  who  sneer  at  religion  in 
boys,  and  who  would  laugh  at  you  and  me 
talking  in  this  way ;  but  should  not  even  boys 
love  the  Lord  who  has  loved  them  ?  '  Wait 
till  you  are  older,'  say  some,  '  and  then  it  will 
be  time  enough  to  think  about  these  things.' 
But  that  is  not  what  Christ  says.  '  Come  to 
me  noiv  ;  come  at  once.  Why  wander  further 
from  your  true  home  ?    The  present  moment  is 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  233 

all  you  can  call  your  own ;  the  next,  whether 
boy  or  man,  you  may  be  in  eternity.'  He  asks 
not  for  the  last  dregs  of  a  life,  the  rest  of  which 
has  been  spent  in  sin,  not  for  the  calm  of  old 
age  only,  not  for  the  vigor  of  manhood.  He 
asks  for  all  our  life  ;  for  the  best  we  have  :  and 
does  he  not  deserve  it,  and  far,  far  more  than 
we  can  give  him  ?  Boys  have  their  duty  to  do 
in  the  world,  as  well  as  men.  Boys  may  die 
at  any  moment,  as  well  as  men  ;  and  we  can 
neither  do  our  duty  well,  nor  die  well,  without 
Christ. 

"You  ask  me  to  give  you  good  advice.  I 
do  not  know  that  I  am  the  most  fit  person  to 
advise  you,  seeing  that  I  am  often  at  a  loss  how 
to  advise  myself,  and  besides,  there  is  a  danger 
of  becoming  too  fond  of  giving  advice.  So 
that  I  would  rather,  on  the  whole,  take  advice 
than  give  it.  Still,  as  you  are  beginning  to 
enter  upon  a  path  which  I  have  tried  to  tread 
for  many  years,  I  think  I  can't  be  wrong  in  one 
or  two  things  which  I  should  like  to  remind 
you  of,  and  which  you  ought  to,  and  very  likely 
do,  know*  . 


234  OUDENDALE: 

"  I  think  that  some  people  often  lead  others 
wrong  by  talking  solely  about  faith  in  Christ 
and  repentance  d.s  feelings,  and  not  mentioning 
that  our  faith  and  repentance  are  worth  nothing 
unless  they  are  followed  by  suitable  fruits. 
God  is  willing  to  give  us  his  grace  freely  ;  but 
then,  by  the  help  of  his  grace,  we  have  to  work 
out  our  own  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling. 
Would  it  be  reasonable  that  Jesus  should,  by 
himself,  combat  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the 
devil,  while  we  sat  by  and  looked  on  ?  No ; 
we  must  rise,  and  putting  on  the  armor  of  God, 
enter  into  the  strife  with  sin,  remembering 
that  Christ  came  not  only  to  die  that  we  might 
find  our  offended  Father,  but  also  to  show  us 
how  to  live  so  as  to  please  him.  True  religion 
is  not  to  talk,  nor  to  seem,  nor  to  feel  holy,  but 
to  fight  prayerfully,  earnestly,  and  unceasingly 
against  sin,  that  we  may  become  more  like  our 
Lord  and  Saviour.  '  If  ye  love  me,  keep  my 
commandments.'  Don't  think  that  for  your 
own  good  works  you  can  obtain  salvation  ;  but 
don't  think,  either,  that  your  own  salvation  can 
be  real,  unless  it  is  attended  by  an  earnest  en- 
deavor to  lead  a  new  life. 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  235 

"  We  have  all  of  us  got  a  duty  to  do  in  the 
world,  and  it  is  the  performance  of  this  duty 
that  God  demands  from  us  —  neither  more  nor 
less.  We  must  not  lose  time  by  wishing  tliat 
God  had  given  us  a  greater  or  a  smaller  duty 
to  do,  but  we  must  set  to  work  with  all  our 
might  to  do  it,  whatever  it  is.  You  may  per- 
haps think,  '  Oh  that  I  could  find  some  way  of 
doing  some  great  thing  for  the  God  who  loved 
me  so  much  ;  that  I  could,  careless  of  all  perils, 
carry  the  gospel  to  heathen  and  barbarous  na- 
tions ;  that  I  could  perish  at  the  stake,  or  amid 
horrible  tortures,  as  a  witness  for  him  to  all 
ages  ! '  Stop  a  bit.  When  God  wants  you  to 
do  such  great  works,  he  will  call  you  to  them 
in  his  own  good  time.  In  the  meantime,  your 
duty  is  to  attend  to  your  studies,  to  cultivate 
well  the  powers,  both  of  mind  and  body,  which 
God  has  given  you,  to  be  obedient  and  respect- 
ful to  your  masters,  and  agreeable  and  unselfish 
to  your  companions.  From  what  you  say  of 
your  uncle  and  aunt,  I  should  think  that  it  is 
your  special  duty  to  try  and  please  them  in 
everything.     These  little  ceremonies,  to  which 


236  OUDENDALE: 

they  seem  to  attach  great  importance,  may  be 
irksome  and  even  ridiculous  to  you ;  but  you 
must  try  to  observe  them,  so  as  not  to  cause  a 
moment's  displeasure  to  those  who  are  now  in 
the  place  of  parents  to  you.  Perhaps  you  may 
say,  '  This  duty  will  be  very  hard.'  Indeed,  I 
can  well  believe  it  to  be  so  ;  but  the  harder 
duty  is,  the  harder  we  must  try  to  do  it —  that's 
all.  Then,  every  Christian  should  cultivate 
humbleness,  truthfulness,  good  humor,  pure- 
mindedness,  and  all  such  virtues  as  are  well- 
pleasing  to  God. 

"  This  is  the  duty  which  you  have  to  do,  and 
God  will  no  doubt  reward  you,  not  according 
to  the  greatness  of  the  duty,  but  the  manner  of 
doing  it.  But  do  not  for  a  moment  forget 
that  even  when  cleansed  from  your  sins  in  the 
blood  of  Christ,  you  are  still  only  a  weak,  sinful 
creature,  and  must  constantly  be  looking  to 
Jesus  for  help  in  every  temptation  and  trial. 
Without  him  you  can  do  nothing.  With  him 
you  can  do  everything.  Don't  look  at  yourself, 
or  you  will  be  sure  to  wander.  Look  at  the 
Light  of  the  World,   and  you  will   never  go 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  237 

wrong.  And  when  you  do  find  yourself  vie- 
torious  over  sin,  don't  be  tempted  to  think 
much  of  yourself  and  your  own  goodness,  but 
give  liim  all  the  glory  and  the  thanks. 

"  Often  we  may  be  in  doubt  what  our  duty 
is  —  what  is  right  and  what  is  wrong.  But 
here^is  a  text  :  '  Whatsoever  ye  do,  do  all  to 
the  glory  of  God.*  Nor  are  the  very  commonest 
occupations  and  amusements  excluded  by  this 
rule.  We  can  play  at  cricket  to  the  glory  of 
God,  inasmuch  as  he  evidently  intends  that  we 
should,  at  our  time  of  life  especially,  exercise 
our  bodies  and  refresh  our  minds  by  such 
games ;  but  can  we  practice  deceit  upon  our 
masters,  or  join  in  immoral  conversation,  or 
indulge  our  bad  tempers,  and  feel  all  the  while 
that  we  are  doing  all  in  harmony  with  his 
glory  ? 

"  One  caution  more,  which  I  had  almost  for- 
gotten, and  which  many  Christians  are  too  apt 
to  forget,  —  though  perhaps  you  are  not  in  so 
much  danger  in  this  respect.  Try  to  cultivate 
a  genial  temper,  to  be  agreeable  and  sociable  to 
your  companions  (thougli  you  must  never  allow 


238  OUDENDALE: 

them  to  get  you  to  do  wrong).  Don't  give  the 
enemies  of  religion  occasion  to  say  that  it  is  a 
gloomy  thing,  which  makes  its  converts  dull, 
unsociable,  unsympathizing  with  the  tempta- 
tions, and  contemptuous  towards  the  failings 
of  others.  Show,  rather,  that  its  watchwords 
are  love,  joy,  and  peace.  Show  that  you  are 
an  heir  of  blessings  far  richer  than  the  world 
can  give, —  happiness  for  the  present,  for  the 
future,  for  eternity.  Show  that  the  Spirit  of 
God  has  made  you  more  joyful,  more  unselfish, 
more  sympathizing,  more  obliging. 

"  I  can't  resist  giving  you  part  of  a  hymn, 
which  is  a  great  favorite  of  mine,  though  it 
will  add  to  the  length  of  this  already  very  long 
letter. 

*I  would  not  have  the  restless  will 

That  hurries  to  and  fro, 
Seeldng  for  some  great  thing  to  do, 

Or  secret  thing  to  know: 
But  I  would  be  treated  as  a  child, 

And  guided  where  I  go. 

*  Wherever  in  this  world  I  am, 

In  whatsoe'er  estate, 
I  have  a  fellowship  with  hearts 

To  keep  and  cultivate; 
And  a  work  of  lowly  love  to  do 

For  the  Lord  on  whom  I  wait. 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  339 

*  So  I  ask  Thee  for  the  daily  strength, 

To  none  that  ask  denied. 
And  a  mind  to  blend  with  outward  life 

While  keeping  at  Thy  side; 
Content  to  fill  a  little  space. 

If  Thou  be  glorified. 

'There  are  briers  besetting  every  path, 

That  caH  for  patient  care; 
There  is  a  cross  in  every  lot. 

And  an  earnest  need  of  prayer; 
But  a  lowly  heart  that  leans  on  Thee 

Is  happy  anywhere.' 

"  Oh,  why  should  not  Christians  be  happy  ? 
Some  may  laugh  at  us,  and  sneer;  but  what 
care  we,  if  the  love  of  God  is  ours  —  that  love 
which  gives  happiness  on  earth,  and  glory  for- 
ever in  heaven  ?  We  are  on  the  winning  side  ; 
and  before  Satan  can  altogether  destroy  ouv 
hope,  he  must  conquer  our  Lord. 

"I  see  that  I  have  fallen  into  the  same  fault 
which  you  accused  yourself  of — writing  a  reg- 
ular sermon.  However,  believe  me,  I  wish  and 
hope  to  do  you  good.  Don't  take  it  all  on  my 
word,  though.  I  may  lead  you  wrong.  But 
go  to  the  Bible,  and  read  the  doings  and  sayings 
of  Clirist  and  his  apostles,  and  judge  for  your- 
self what  is  the  truth.  I  don't  think  that  I  have 
told  you  anything  which  you  will  not  find  in 


240  OUDENDALE. 

the  Bible  ;  for,  before  I  began  this  letter,  I  asked 
God  to  help  me  to  show  you  what  he  wishes 
you  to  do,  and  I  think  he  has  helped  me. 

"  Once  more  :  beware  of  trusting  in  yourself, 
but  keep  looking;  to  Jesus, 

"And  hoping  to  see  you  soon  again  at  Ou- 
dendale, 

I  am,  my  dear  Campion, 

Your  affectionate  friend, 

W.  T.  D.  Cholmondeley." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  FIRST  OF  APRIL. 
"  I  give  him  joy  that's  awkward  at  a  lie.' 


Young. 


Charlie  had  indeed  entered  upon  a  new  life. 
The  Holy  Spirit  had  breathed  upon  his  heart, 
and  had  quickened  all  the  good  seed  which  lay 
there,  hitherto  unfruitful.  His  mother's  prayers 
were  answered,  and  her  labors  for  him  were 
not  in  vain.  And  now  he  will  have  a  battle, 
and  no  easy  battle,  to  fight.  He  will  have  to 
give  up  many  «ins,  now  appearing  to  his  opened 
eyes  in  all  their  loathsomeness.  He  will  have 
to  gain  mastery  over  idleness,  disobedience, 
and  the  many  other  evil  inclinations  of  which 
the  natural  heart  is  full.  He  will  perhaps  have 
to  endure  ridicule  from  some  of  those  who  were 
once  his  best  friends ;  and  this,  to  his  friendly 
and  amiable  nature,  will  be  a  hard  trial.     He 

especially  felt  puzzled  how  to  tell  Lurn  of  the 
16 


242  OUDENDALE: 

change  whicli  had  happened  in  him,  for  Liirn 
and  he  were  such  intimate  friends  that  they 
must  always  know  each  other's  thoughts.  Oh 
that  Lurn  would  do  what  he  had  done,  that 
they  might  walk  hand  in  hand  along  the  way 
of  everlasting  life ! 

Such  thoughts,  or  similar  ones,  passed  through 
Charlie's  mind  as  he  was  returning  to  Ouden- 
dale  ;  yet  he  felt  hopeful  and  happy,  for  he  had 
already  learned  that  Jesus  would  arm  him  to 
gain  the  victory  over  the  troubles  and  tempta- 
tions of  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil. 

The  first  night  of  his  arrival,  he  went  to  tea 
with  Mr.  Campion,  and  found  Cholmondeley 
there  also.  Charlie's  heart  gave  a  great  jump 
when  he  saw  him,  for  he  felt  deeply  grateful  to 
him  for  all  that  he  had  done  for  him.  Chol- 
mondeley, too,  who  had  taken  a  sudden  and 
unaccou.ntable  fancy  to  Charlie  from  the  first 
day  he  saw  him,  now  loved  him  more  than  ever, 
and  rejoiced  that  God  had  chosen  him  to  be  the 
means  of  doing  Charlie  good. 

They  had  a  very  pleasant  evening  ;  and  before 
they  separated,  Mr.  Campion  offered  up  a  prayer 


A   TALE  OF   SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  243 

to  God  that  he  would  bless  them  all.  When 
they  rose  from  their  knees,  Charlie  was  crying. 

"  I  was  thinking  of  mamma,"  he  said,  trying 
to  dash  away  the  tears.  "  She  used  to  pray 
for  me,  and  I  think  God  has  answered  her 
prayers.  How  glad  she  would  be  if  she  knew 
all  that  has  happened  to  me  since  the  beginning 
of  the  holidays  !  " 

Charlie  had  to  leave  soon  to  see  his  trunk 
unpacked;  but  Mr.  Campion  and  Cholmondeley 
sat  for  some  time  longer,  talking  together. 

"  Do  you  remember,"  said  Cholmondeley, 
"  how  we  thought  that  Charlie  was  a  hopeless 
case  ?     How  foolish  we  were  !  " 

"  How  wicked  we  were! "  said  Mr.  Campion, 
energetically.  "  It  was  wicked  to  forget  that 
God's  Spirit  could  reach  every  heart,  no  matter 
how  sinful.  God  can  bring  good  out  of  all 
evil,  and  he  has  brought  good  in  this  case  out 
of  what  appeared  to  us  a  hopeless  evil.  Charlie 
might  have  chosen  good  companions,  and  been 
to  a  certain  extent  steady  and  diligent,  and 
outwardly  good,  but  might  never  have  awak- 
ened to  a  sense  of  his  sinfulness  in  the  sight  of 


244  OUDEKDALE: 

God,  and  his  need  of  pardon  through  Christ. 
But  He  was  carrying  on  a  work  which  our  blind 
eyes  did  not  see.  Truly,  His  ways  are  not  as 
our  ways." 

The  next  morning  Charlie  w^as  awakened  by 
Gordon  shaking  him,  and  crying  loudly  : 

"  0  Campion  !  do  you  know  what  has  hap- 
pened ?  " 

"  No !  "  exclaimed  Charlie,  starting  up  in  bed. 

"  The  hall  and  all  the  other  side  of  the  quad 
caught  fire  through  the  night,  and  were  burned 
to  the  ground.  No  end  of  fellows  burned  to 
ashes !     Look  and  see  the  ruins  !  " 

Charlie  was  for  a  moment  struck  dumb  by 
this  astounding  piece  of  news,  and  then,  spring- 
ing from  his  bed,  he  was  rushing  to  the  window, 
when  he  was  stopped  by  a  peal  of  laughter. 

"  April  fool !  April  fool !  "  chorussed  the 
other  occupants  of  the  room  ;  and  Charlie,  now 
thoroughly  awake,  remembered  that  it  was  the 
first  of  April,  and  joined  in  the  laugh  against 
himself. 

They  were  nearly  all  dressed,  and  the  chapel 
bell  had  just  begun  to  ring,  when  Gordon,  who 
had  gone  down  to  the  quadrangle  just  a  minute 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  245 

before,  came  rushing  back  in  a  state  of  un- 
feigned astonishment. 

"  What  do  you  think  old  Eden's  gone  and 
done  ?  He's  put  up  a  notice  that  there  is  to  be 
no  April  fooling  to-day." 

"  What  a  cram  !  "  said  Charlie. 

"  Oh,  bring  me  a  pail  of  water !  "  cried  Dale, 
making  gestures,  intended  to  signify  that  he 
was  making  great  efforts  to  swallow  something. 

"  Of  course  !  "  exclaimed  another,  ironically, 
while  the  other  boys  expressed  in  different  ways 
their  opinion  that  Gordon  was  humbugging  them. 

"  I  tell  you  it's  quite  true.  You  can  go 
and  look  for  yourself,  if  you  don't  believe  me. 
There's  a  regular  lecture  posted  up,  all  about 
*  that  a  lie  is  too  awful  a  thing  to  be  used  even 
in  jest,'  and  so  forth,  and  winding  up  by  ap- 
pealing to  us  not  to  make  April  fools  of  one 
another  to-day." 

Their  incredulity  was  however  not  yet  over- 
come ;  but  when  they  got  down  to  the  quad- 
rangle there  could  be  no  doubt  about  it.  A 
crowd  of  boys  pressed  round  the  notice-board, 
which  was  just  at  the  hall  door;  and  there,  sure 


2iG  OUDENDALE: 

enough,  was  an  intimation  from  the  Master  that 
he  disapproved  of  the  custom  of  April  fooling, 
and  begged  that  the  boys  would  not  practise  it. 
As  Dr.  Eden  said,  vice  is  too  loathsome,  and 
virtue  too  sacred  to  be  trifled  with,  even  in  jest. 

The  bojs  turned  away  from  the  notice-board 
with  looks  of  astonishment,  for  this  was  alto- 
gether unlooked  for.  However,  most  of  them 
resolved  to  obey  Dr.  Eden's  wishes  ;  for,  at 
most,  April  fooling  is  but  a  stupid  and  foolish 
amusement.  There  were  some  who  began  to 
practise  all  sorts  of  foolish  tricks,  simply  be- 
cause Dr.  Eden  wished  them  not  to  do  so  ;  but 
they  soon  stopped  when  they  found  that  the 
general  feeling  of  the  school  was  averse  to  them. 

Charlie  was  walking  through  the  yard  with 
Lurn,  longing  for  an  opportunity  of  telling  him 
all  he  thought,  when  that  ingenious  young 
gentleman  proposed  — 

"  Let's  go  and  tell  Bill  Rufus  that  we  saw  a 
large  black  dog  in  the  yard  a  minute  ago. 
He'll  go  and  hunt  all  over  the  yard  for  it,  and 
be  a  regular  April  fool." 

^'  But  Dr.  Eden  told  us  not  to  go  on  with 
tliat  sort  of  thing.'* 


A  TALE   OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  247 

"  Eden  has  told  both  you  and  me  a  good 
many  thhigs  that  we  paid  just  as  little  attention 
to,  so  we  needn't  stick  at  a  small  thing  like 
this.  Hang  Eden  !  he  has  no  right  to  tell  us 
anything  of  the  sort." 

"  Now  for  it,"  thought  Charlie,  and  with  a 
beating  heart  he  said :  "I  say  —  Lurn  !  " 

"  Well,  Campion." 

"It  wouldn't  be  right  to  do  this  when  Dr. 
Eden  told  us  not  to,  would  it  ?  " 

"  Don't  know,  and  don't  care." 

"  But  it  would  not  be  right,  and  I  won't  do 
it.  God  wouldn't  like  it.  Look  here,  Lurn," 
said  Charlie,  speaking  very  fast  and  very  nerv- 
ously, "  I  have  begun  to  see  how  bad  I  am,  and 
how  good  God  is.  I  am  going  to  try  after  this  to 
do  right ;  for  Jesus  has  died  for  me,  and  I  ought 
to  try  and  please  him.    Now,  don't  laugh  at  me." 

Lurn  had  listened  at  first  with  a  look  of 
curiosity,  and  had  drawn  up  his  lips  as  if  to 
whistle,  but  now  he  relaxed  them,  and  said : 

"  I'm  not  going  to  laugh  at  you." 

"  0  Lurn !  if  you  only  knew  how  much  Jesus 
loved  you.  I  wish  you  would  try  to  love  him. 
If  you  — " 


248  OUDENDALE. 

"Hold  hard,  now,"  interrupted  Lurn.  "You 
are  quite  right  to  be  rehgious,  and  that  sort  of 
thing,  if  you  like,  and  I'm  sure  I  don't  see  why 
I  should  laugh  at  you  for  it ;  but  you  needn't 
try  me  with  it.  I  know  quite  well  enough  what 
religion  is,  for  I'm  sure  that  my  mother  is  per- 
petually drumming  it  into  me  ;  but  the  fact  of 
the  matter  is  that  I  don't  want  to  be  religious : 
I  don't  feel  as  if  I  should  like  it.  You  do  what 
you  like,  but  leave  me  to  do  what  I  like." 

This  was  all  that  Charlie  could  get  out  of 
Lurn  upon  the  subject.  He  felt  both  sorry  and 
glad  after  this  conversation  ;  glad  because  he 
had  told  Lurn  all  that  was  in  his  mind,  and 
sorry  because  he  would  not  seek  the  Saviour 
with  him.  Often  afterwards  he  brought  forward 
the  subject,  but  Lurn  always  evaded  it,  and 
showed  no  disposition  to  talk  about  it.  So 
Charlie  could  do  nothing  but  pray  to  God  to 
teach  Lurn  the  truth.  And  pray  he  did,  as 
earnestly  and  anxiously  as  for  himself;  for  he 
now  loved  Lurn  as  a  brother,  and  could  not 
bear  to  see  him  thoughtless  and  careless  about 
that  greatest  of  all  matters,  —  the  salvation  of 
his  immortal  soul. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

CONFESSING  CHRIST. 

"  Ashamed  of  Jesus !    Yes,  I  may, 
When  I've  no  guilt  to  wash  away; 
No  fears  to  quell,  no  boon  to  crave, 
No  tears  to  wipe,  no  soul  to  save." 

Anon. 

Some  of  Charlie's  companions  perhaps  noticed 
that  all  of  a  sudden  he  began  to  learn  his  les- 
sons, and  behave  in  school  much  better  than 
before,  and  that  he  left  off  using  cribs ;  but 
none  of  them  guessed  the  reason  of  this  change, 
— possibly  not  giving  it  a  moment's  thought. 
Charlie  tried  hard  to  leave  off  all  the  school- 
boy besetting  sins  wiiich  he  had  lately  allowed 
himself  to  practise,  but  he  could  not  bring  his 
mind  to  tell  any  one  but  Lurn  the  new  thoughts 
which  he  had ;  nor  did  Lurn  betray  the  confi- 
dence which  Charlie  put  in  him.  So  that,  for 
some  time,  boys  often  made   plans  which  ho 


250  OUDENDALE: 

knew  to  be  wrong,  or  spoke  immoral  or  jDrofane 
language  before  him,  and  (alas  for  human  weak- 
ness !)  he  was  afraid  to  speak  out  against  such 
things,  and  would  often  even  smile,  as  if  he  ap- 
proved of  them.  Yet  he  felt  how  wrong  this 
moral  cowardice  was  ;  that  those  who  would  fol- 
low Christ,  must  confess  him  before  men,  must 
show  by  word  and  deed  how  much  they  abhor 
the  sin  for  which  he  suffered.  He  knew  this  ; 
and  yet,  whenever  an  opportunity  came  of  con- 
fessing his  faith,  his  courage  failed  him,  and  he 
shrank  back  from  the  trial.  Oh,  how  loth  are 
we  to  do  ever  so  little  for  the  Saviour,  who  has 
done  so  much  for  us !  How  ashamed  and  afraid 
to  confess  the  glorious  Lord  and  Master  of  all, 
who  for  our  sakes  was  not  ashamed  to  become 
vile  and  despised,  nor  afraid  to  suffer  poverty, 
torture,  and  death ! 

Cricket  commenced  at  Oudendale  immedi- 
ately after  the  Easter  holidays  ;  and  for  the 
first  week  hardly  any  talk  was  to  be  heard  over 
the  college  but  about  bats  and  wickets  and 
subscriptions,  and  who  were  to  be  in  the  first 
eleven,  and  so  forth.     Cholmondeley  was  the 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  251 

captain  of  tlie  eleven,  for  he  was  both  head  of 
the  school  and  an  excellent  player.  Charlie 
was  also  a  pretty  good  player  for  his  age,  and  lie 
was  chosen  into  the  first  eleven  of  the  middle 
school  of  which  Gordon  was  captain.  Lurn 
was  turned  out  of  it  to  make  room  for  him,  at 
which  he  was  rather  disgusted ;  but  his  equable 
temper  could  not  retain  ill-feeling  long,  and  his 
friendship  with  Charlie  did  not  suffer  in  conse- 
quence, though  Lurn  never  afterwards  ceased 
to  predict  all  sorts  of  misfortunes  and  defeats 
to  the  eleven,  •'  since  they  did  not  know  a  good 
player  when  they  saw  him,"  as  he  said. 

One  morning  Charlie  and  Lurn  were  crossing 
the  quadrangle  on  their  way  to  chapel,  when 
they  passed  a  group  of  five  or  six  boys  belonging 
to  this  eleven,  and  stopped  to  hear  what  they 
were  talking  about.  Granville  Browne  was 
explaining  to  them  some  plan  for  a  lottery,  in 
connection  with  the  match  which  they  were  to 
play  on  Saturday.  To  do  Browne  justice,  it 
must  be  observed  that  he  was  not  a  bad  cricket 
player,  though  this  was  almost  the  only  game 
which  he  generally  condescended  to  play  at. 


252  OUDENDALE: 

He  was  one  of  the  best  bowlers  in  the  eleven, 
and  some  had  even  wished  him  to  be  captain, 
instead  of  Gordon,  who  was  always  quarrelling 
with  some  of  them.  But  Gordon  was  by  far 
the  best  batter ;  and  even  if  the  majority  of  the 
eleven  had  all  disliked  Gordon  twice  as  much 
as  some  of  them  did,  they  would  rather  have 
elected  him  than  Browne,  whom  they  despised. 

"  Don't  you  see  what  I  mean  ?  "  he  was 
saying.  "  Every  fellow  puts  in  sixpenpe,  then 
we  write  the  names  of  the  eleven  on  slips  of 
paper,  and  each  draws  one  out.  Whoever 
draws  out  the  name  of  the  fellow  who  makes 
the  biggest  score,  gets  all  the  money." 

"  Better  not  let  Eden  catch  you  setting  up 
lotteries,"  said  Gordon,  who  always  opposed 
everything  that  Browne  said.  There  was  no 
love  lost  between  them. 

"  Who's  afraid  of  Eden  ? "  cried  Harrison, 
another  of  the  eleven. 

"  Not  me,  I'm  sure,"  said  Gordon,  sharply, 
thinking  that  this  was  intended  to  be  personal. 

"  Not  J,  you  mean,  Gordon,"  cried  Lurn, 
laughingly.  "  You'll  need  me  back  again  to 
teach  you  all  grammar." 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY   LIFE.  253 

"  You'll  need  me  to  come  and  teach  you  to 
shut  up  your  jaw,"  growled  Gordon,  at  which 
threat  Lurn  indulged  in  a  pantomime,  expres- 
sive of  delight  and  derision. 

"  But  I  vote  we  try  this  lottery,"  said  Harri- 
son. "  You  shan't  have  the  drawing  of  the 
papers  though,  Browne,  for  you  have  a  queer 
trick  of  always  getting  hold  of  the  right  one, 
somehow  or  other,  where  there's  anything  of 
that  sort  going  on." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  I  would  cheat  ? " 
said  Browne,  assuming  an  appearance  of  indig- 
nation. 

"  Oh  dear,  no  !     I  won't  say  it." 

"  I  don't  think  it  would  be  right  of  us  to 
have  a  lottery,"  said  Charlie. 

"  Why  not  ?  "  cried  Harrison,  turning  round 
sharply  upon  him.  "  Nobody  but  a  regular 
saint,  like  Cholmondeley,  would  kick  up  any 
row  about  it." 

The  rest  of  what  Charlie  was  going  to  say 
stuck  in  his  throat,  and  before  he  could  again 
summon  up  courage  to  speak  out  on  the  matter, 
the  chapel  bell  stopped  ringing,  and  they  had  all 
to  make  a  rush  for  the  door  to  escape  being  late. 


254  OUDENDALE: 

Charlie's  conscience  bitterly  reproached  him 
for  not  having  objected  to  the  lottery  more  de- 
cidedly, and  by  way  of  atoning  for  this  fault 
(as  he  foolishly  thought),  he  tried  to  attend 
with  particular  attention  and  reverence  to  the 
service.  This  was  no  easy  task,  for  the  conduct 
of  many  boys  round  him  was  anything  but 
reverent,  or  even  attentive.  It  is  a  mistake  to 
think  that  boys  acquire  love  or  reverence  for 
religious  services  by  being  forced  to  attend 
them  every  morning  at  seven  o'clock. 

Johnson,  who  sat  next  Charlie,  amused  him- 
self for  some  time  by  cutting  his  initials  on  the 
desk  before  him ;  and  having  done  this  to  his 
satisfaction,  he  proceeded  to  tickle  the  ear  of 
the  boy  before  him  with  a  hair,  and  perform 
sundry  other  ingenious  tricks,  to  which  he  called 
Charlie's  attention  several  times.  But  Charlie 
was  bent  on  attending  to  the  service,  and  would 
neither  join  in  nor  look  at  Johnson's  tricks. 
Johnson  noticed  this,  and,  after  chapel,  said : 

"  I  say.  Campion,  how  very  good  and  well- 
behaved  you  were  in  chapel.  Are  you  going  to 
turn  serious,  and  buy  a  lot  of  hymn-books  ?  " 


A  TALE  OF   SCHOOLBOY   LIFE.  255 

"  Old  Horsley  was  looking  at  us,"  said  Char- 
lie ;  but  no  sooner  had  he  said  this,  than  his 
conscience  smote  him  for  being  so  cowardly  as 
to  resort  to  an  equivocation  to  conceal  his  real 
feelings.  Then  about  the  lottery,  too,  he  was 
much  perplexed.  His  duty  evidently  was  to 
protest  against  it ;  but,  like  many  others  who 
have  a  hard  duty  to  do,  he  racked  his  mind  to 
find  some  pretext  for  evading  it,  and  to  his 
easy,  obliging  nature  this  for  a  moment  ap- 
peared a  plausible  one : 

"  Christ  told  us  to  be  kind  to  others ;  and, 
after  all,  a  lottery  is  no  great  harm,  and  I  need 
not  disoblige  the  other  fellows  by  refusing  to 
join  in  it." 

But  again  conscience  whispered  : 

"  No;  it  would  be  wrong.  Dr.  Eden  has  for- 
bidden lotteries  in  the  school,  and  I  must  obey 
him  if  I  wish  to  obey  Christ.  God  forbids  us 
to  do  wrong  even  to  oblige  our  dearest  friend." 

At  length  he  went  to  Cholmondeley,  and  put 
the  case  to  him,  without  however  mentioning 
names  or  particulars.  He  knew  that  Cholmon- 
deley would  have  stopped  the  lottery  at  once, 


256  OUDENDALE: 

if  he  had  been  told,  but  that  it  would  not  be 
right  of  him  to  betray  the  confidence  of  the 
other  boys. 

"  Some  one  wants  you  to  do  something  wrong, 
and  you  wish  to  know  whether  you  ought  to  do 
it  to  oblige  him,"  said  Cholmondeley,  when  he 
had  finished.  0  Charlie  !  surely  you  don't  mean 
that.     Can  you  serve  two  masters  ?  " 

"  But  it  is  very  difficult  for  me  to  refuse." 

"  If  it  is  your  duty,  we  must  not  think 
whether  it  is  difficult  or  not.  What  must  be 
done,  must  be  done.  Come,  now,  Charlie,  do  I 
guess  right  when  I  say  the  difficulty  is  that  you 
are  afraid  to  speak  out,  and  say  that  it  is  wrong  ? " 

"  0  Cholmondeley  !  that's  just  it,"  burst  out 
Charlie.  ''  I  know  that  it's  wrong,  but  I  can't 
help  it.     Can  you  not  help  me  ?  " 

"  It  is  not  to  me  that  you  should  come  for 
help,"  said  Cholmondeley,  reproachfully ;  and 
Charlie  understood  his  meaning. 

"  I  must  ask  Him  to  help  me,"  he  said.  "  I 
forgot  that." 

"  I  can  quite  understand  how  you  feel,"  said 
Cholmondeley.     "I  have  known  what  it  was 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LITE,  257 

to  be  ashamed  of  Jesus,  and  I  daresay  I  am  still 
often  afraid  to  speak  out  for  him ;  but  it  is  a 
very  great  sin  indeed.  How  ungrateful  we  are 
to  Jesus,  who  suffered  so  much  for  us,  if  wo 
can't  stand  a  little  ridicule  for  his  sake !  The 
world  can't  treat  us  any  worse  than  it  treated 
him." 

That  afternoon,  just  as  the  eleven  were  going 
to  begin  to  practise,  Browne  started  the  subject 
of  the  lottery  again,  and  Charlie  mustered  up 
all  his  courage  to  oppose  it. 

"  I  don't  think  it  would  be  right,"  he  said, 
rather  nervously.  "  You  know  Dr.  Eden  doesn't 
allow  lotteries." 

"•  Who  cares  for  him  ?  We'll  take  precious 
good  care  he'll  never  know  anything  about  it." 

"  But  God  will  know,  and  he  would  not  like 
us  to  disobey  the  Master." 

The  rest  of  the  boys  looked  rather  astonished 
at  this  unexpected  speech ;  and  Harrison,  having 
first  given  utterance  to  a  long  whistle,  cried : 

"  Hallo  !  I  declare !     Are  you  going  to  come 

out  as  a  saint.  Campion  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  call  a  saint,"  said 
17 


258  OUDEN-DALE: 

Charlie,  waxing  bolder ;  "  but  I  know  that  I'm 
going  to  try  and  do  right,  and  obey  God  if  I 
can.  I  don't  think  there's  anything  to  laugh 
at  in  tli^t." 

"  What  cant !  "  exclaimed  Browne,  super- 
ciliously. 

"  I  suppose  Cholmondeley  has  been  putting 
you  up  to  all  this,"  said  Harrison.  "  You 
didn't  used  to  shine  in  the  saint  line.  St. 
Cholmondeley  and  St.  Campion !  Don't  that 
sound  fine  ?  We  ought  to  have  a  half-holiday 
on  each  of  your  saint's  days." 

"  Shut  up,  Harrison,  and  don't  talk  stuif !  " 
said  one  of  the  boys. 

"  I  am  going  to  be  as  quiet  as  a  mouse.  I'm 
waiting  for  a  sermon  from  St.  Campion  upon 
the  evil  of  lotteries  and  things  in  general." 

"  At  all  events,  we're  not  going  to  have 
anything  to  do  with  that  lottery,"  said  Gordon. 
"It's  all  humbug!" 

"  When's  the  sermon  going  to  begin  ?  "  said 
Harrison,  looking  with  mock  reverence  at 
Charlie,  who  stood  quite  silent. 

"  Shut  up,  Harrison,  I  tell  you !  "  cried  Gor- 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  259 

don  ;  "  we've  come  here  to  play  at  cricket,  and 
not  to  talk  stuff.  Pitch  the  wickets,  Winter- 
bottom." 

"Oh,  but  you  must  get  some  fellow  instead 
of  Campion.  Who  ever  heard  of  a  saint  play- 
ing at  cricket  ?  " 

"  You  know  you  are  talking  nonsense,  Har- 
rison," said  Charlie.  "  It's  not  wrong  to  play 
at  cricket ;  but  it's  wrong  to  disobey  the  Mas- 
ter. You  know  as  well  as  I  do  what  is  wronir, 
though  you  pretend  that  it  is  something  very 
queer  of  me  to  try  and  do  right.  I  want  to  be 
religious,  or  '  a  saint,'  or  whatever  you  like  to 
call  it.  If  you  find  that  religion  makes  me  a 
sneak,  or  anything  bad,  you  may  laugh  at  me 
as  much  as  you  like  ;  but  don't  laugh  at  me 
when  you  know  that  I  am  only  doing  what  you 
ought  to  do." 

"  Now  let  us  begin  the  game,"  said  Gordon, 
who  had  felt  rather  uncomfortable  during  this 
discussion  ;  for,  like  most  boys,  he  was  not 
accustomed  to  talk  on  siich  matters. 

It  was  soon  known  among  all  Charlie's  com- 
panions that  he  had  turned  "  religious  ;  "  and 


260  OUDENDALE: 

at  first  tlicy  were  rather  astonished  at  it,  and 
inclined,  perhaps,  to  laugh  him  out  of  it. 
However,  it  was  soon  evident  that  he  was  really 
sincere,  and  nearly  all  of  them  took  no  more 
notice  of  it.  The  consistent  and  upright  con- 
duct of  Cholmondeley  and  some  other  boys  in 
the  school,  as  much,  perhaps,  as  the  more  indi- 
rect influence  of  Dr.  Eden  and  such  masters  as 
Mr.  Campion,  had  done  much  good  in  the  school ; 
and  most  of  the  boys  felt  at  least  a  certain 
respect  for  religion,  even  though  they  liad  no 
love  for  it.  So  Charlie  was  allowed  to  go  his 
own  way  in  peace,  with  the  exception  of  an 
occasional  sneer  from  such  boys  as  Harrison ; 
and  he  felt  glad  that  he  had  taken  this  decided 
step,  and  had  shown  to  all  that,  let  others  do 
what  they  liked,  he  would  serve  the  Lord. 

Charlie  grew  in  grace  every  day.  Not  that  he 
never  sinned,  —  for,  alas!  even  the  regenerated 
heart  is  not  perfect  on  earth,  —  but  day  by  day 
he  seemed  to  gain  more  love  for  God,  and  more 
heavenly  strength.  That  very  obstinate  wilful- 
ness which  had  once  been,  perhaps,  the  most 
disagreeable   feature    in    his    character,   now, 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  261 

when  sanctified  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  became  a 
steady  perseverance  in  well-doing ;  and  the 
purity  which  had  once  marked  all  his  thoughts 
and  words  was  now  increased  by  the  same 
mighty  agency.  His  conscience  shrunk  from 
evil  as  from  a  serpent.  If  he  had  any  besetting 
sin,  it  was  in  his  too-great  good-nature,  and 
unwillingness  to  offend  others.  We  must  try  to 
be  kind  and  charitable  to  all  men  ;  but  if  wo 
wish  to  please  Christ,  we  must  give  offence  to 
some,  so  long  as  the  world  remains  what  it  is, 
Charlie,  Cholmondeley,  and  litl;le  Stevenson, 
and  some  other  boys  who  wished  to  walk  in  the 
right  way,  would  sometimes  meet  together  in 
Mr.  Campion's  room  to  pray  for  one  another. 
This  ''  Methodist  prayer-meeting,"  as  Harrison 
called  it,  was  the  means  of  doing  much  good 
to  them  all.  Why  should  we  laugh  at  them  ? 
If  we  have  a  Father  in  heaven  who  is  willing  to 
give  us  whatever  we  ask,  why  should  we  not  ask  ? 
Boys  are  his  people  as  well  as  men,  and  have  the 
same  right  and  privilege  to  seek  him  in  prayer ; 
and  luheresoever  two  or  three  are  gathered  to- 
gether, there  he  will  be  in  the  midst  of  them. 


2G2  OUDENDALE: 

Charlie  also  went  twice  a  week  to  Dr.  Eden's 
confirmation  class,  which  was  very  numerously 
attended.  Between  forty  and  fifty  boys  had 
come  forward  that  year ;  and  there  were  only 
one  or  two  whom  Dr.  Eden  rejected.  Yet, 
though  there  were  no  more  who  were  mani- 
festly unfit  for  the  rite,  he  felt  conscious  that 
many  had  no  sense  of  its  solemnity,  —  no  real 
wish  to  give  themselves  up  to  Christ, — but  only 
came  forward  because  it  was  customary,  or 
because  their  parents  wished  it. 

Charlie  tried  hard  to  persuade  Lurn  to  be 
confirmed,  but  Lurn  steadily  refused. 

''  It's  no  use,"  he  said.  "  I  don't  feel  at  all 
religious.  Now,  when  you  are  confirmed,  you 
promise  and  vow  to  leave  off  all  that's  wrong, 
and  to  love  God  and  keep  his  commandments, 
don't  you  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Well,  then,  I  don't  feel  that  I  wish  to  do 
all  that ;  and  surely  God  wouldn't  like  me  to 
come  and  tell  him  a  lie  about  it." 

Charlie  was  silent,  for  he  could  not  but  feel 
the  truth  of  this. 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  263 

"  It  was  just  the  same  thing  when  they 
wanted  me  to  join  the  choir.  It's  such  humbug 
for  fellows  to  sing  about  loving  and  praising 
God,  like  so  many  parrots,  when  they  never 
think  about  God  at  all.  I  wouldn't  join,  be- 
cause I  know  that  fellows  sing  in  church  about 
praising  God,  and  didn't  want  to  praise  him. 
I  don't  love  God,  that's  the  truth,  and  there's 
no  use  of  trying  to  pretend  that  I  do." 

"  But  God  can  make  you  love  him.  He  can 
give  you  a  new  heart  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  if  you 
only  ask  for  it.  0  Frank !  will  you  pray  to 
him  to  change  your  heart  ?  " 

Lurn  was  silent  for  a  moment,  and  then  said, 
in  a  low  voice  : 

«  Yes,  Charlie,  I  will." 

But  though  he  was  sometimes  touched  in 
this  way  by  Charlie's  earnestness,  such  serious 
feelings  would  soon  wear  off,  and  Lurn  would 
be  careless  and  indifferent  as  ever. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

SLIPS. 

"  Ye  who  instruct  the  youth  of  various  nations. 
Of  France  and  England,  Portugal  and  Spain, 
I  pray  you  flog  them  upon  all  occasions; 
It  mends  their  morals  —  never  mind  the  pain.'* 

Btkon. 

"  What's  that  for,  you  brute  ?  " 

This  polite  exclamation  was  uttered  by  Gor- 
don, and  addressed  to  Charlie,  one  morning  as 
the  boys  were  dressing.  These  two  were  wash- 
ing themselves  at  adjacent  basin-stands,  when 
Charlie^  who  was  in  high  spirits  at  the  prospect 
of  a  splendid  match  which  was  to  be  played 
that  afternoon,  gave  Gordon  a  flick  with  his 
towel,  and  roused  that  young  gentleman's  wrath 
and  displeasure. 

"  That  hurts  1  "  exclaimed  Gordon,  rubbing 
his  side,  and  making  faces;  and  then,  taking 
up  his  own  towel,  "We'll  see  how  you  like  that 
kind  of  thing  yourself." 


A  TALE  OF   SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  265 

"  Come  on  !  "  laughed  Charlie,  defiantly,  at 
the  same  time  dipping  the  end  of  his  towel  into 
the  water,  to  make  it  a  more  effectual  weapon. 
"  Come  on  !  this  basin-stand  shall  fly  from  its 
firm  base  as  soon  as  I." 

But  Gordon  was  far  from  taking  the  matter 
as  a  joke,  and  would  have  made  a  most  furious 
onslaught  on  Charlie,  if  he  had  not  been  re- 
minded that  the  chapel  bell  would  begin  almost 
immediately.  So  he  laid  down  the  towel,  and 
began  to  huddle  on  his  clothes ;  but  it  was 
evident  that  he  was  in  a  very  bad  humor. 
Charlie  had  only  flicked  him  for  fun  ;  but  now, 
instead  of  trying  to  put  him  into  better  humor, 
or  at  least  to  take  no  notice  of  his  sulks,  he 
foolishly  made  matters  worse  by  teasing  him. 

''  Don't  go  near  Gordon  this  morning,  Dale. 
He's  as  sulky  as  a  bear." 

"  I'll  give  you  a  thrashing  presently,  Cam- 
pion, that'll  make  you  sing  out  for  a  fortnight." 

"Oh,  surely  you  wouldn't !  Please  don't ! 
Let  me  get  under  your  bed,  Black.  I'm  so 
frightened !  " 

"  I'll  show  you  pretty  soon   that  I'm  not 


2GG  OUDENDALE: 

joking,"  cried  Gordon,  still  more  angrily,  while 
Charlie  lingered  at  the  door,  making  provoking 
faces. 

"  Will  you  do  it  now,  or  will  you  wait  till 
you  can  catch  —  " 

Gordon  made  a  dash  at  the  door  ;  but  Char- 
lie was  off  like  a  shot,  —  springing  down  three 
or  four  stairs  at  a  time,  and  when  he  had 
reached  the  bottom,  looking  up,  and  mocking 
with  a  merry  laugh  his  baffled  adversary. 

Charlie  was  in  such  high  spirits  that  he  never 
at  the  time  thought  how  wrong  it  was  to  work 
in  this  way  upon  another's  angry  feelings,  and 
soon  forgot  all  about  it ;  but  Gordon  did  not 
forget  so  easily,  and  kept  up  a  resentment 
against  Charlie  all  the  morning. 

Charlie  had  quite  a  turn  for  making  poetry ; 
and,  about  this  time,  Mr.  Campion  having  told 
the  form  a  story  of  a  little  boy  who  is  said  to 
have  died  of  hunger  on  a  rock  in  the  middle  of 
the  celebrated  TroUhatta  waterfall  in  Sweden, 
Charlie  turned  it  into  verse.  Perhaps  some 
readers  would  like  to  see  it. 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  26- 

TROLLHATTA. 

Wasted  and  wan,  a  little  boy 

On  a  rocky  island  stood ; 
There  he  had  been  for  seven  long  days, 

And  never  tasted  food. 

In  the  midst  of  a  torrent  that  island  was, 

And  the  river  rushed  on  around, 
With  furious  leap,  and  with  dreadful  roar, 

Drowning  all  other  sound. 

Hither  the  current  had  borne  hira  safe 

But  now  it  rolled  between 
Himself  and  the  land;  he  could  not  cross. 

And  hope  fled  from  that  lone  scene. 

"  Oh,  cease  thy  flow,  one  instant  cease, 
Thou  torrent  so  rapid  and  wrath ! 
Once  upon  yonder  bank  I  am  safe. 
Oh,  grant  me  hither  a  path! 

A  loving  mother's  and  sister's  tears 

Are  mourning  for  me  at  home." 
Thus  spoke  the  boy,  and  he  clasped  his  bands. 

And  gazed  on  the  river's  foam. 

Then  the  torrent  seemed  sadly  to  murmur  forth. 
As  it  poured  its  waters  still : 
"  I  would  gladly  stay,  I  would  gladly  cease, 
But  it  is  not  my  Maker's  will." 

"  Oh,  bend  thy  branches  across  the  stream. 
Thou  fir  tree  so  silent  and  still !  " 
The  fir  tree  looked  pitying  down,  and  sig^hed, 
"  It  is  not  my  Maker's  will." 

He  looked  around,  he  looked  at  the  bank, 

He  looked  at  the  clear  blue  sky, 
And  he, looked  once  more  at  the  prisoning  stream, 

Then  laid  Iiira  down  to  die. 

He  thought  of  his  mother  and  sister  dear. 
As  dying  there  he  lay; 


268  OUDENDALE: 

Till  Death  relieved  the  watch  of  Grief, 
And  laid  his  hands  on  the  prey. 

The  breezes  wailed  to  sing:  his  dirge; 

The  fir  tree  bowed  its  head : 
And  the  river  wept  with  its  tear-like  spray, 

As  if  to  mourn  the  dead. 

Such  verses,  however  trifling  they  may  really 
be,  were  thought  a  great  deal  of  by  Charlie's 
companions,  and  he  sometimes  felt  quite  vain 
at  the  praises  which  were  bestowed  on  them. 

Now,  on  this  morning,  the  fourth  form  went, 
after  chapel,  to  the  English  schoolroom.  Char- 
lie had  a  copy  of  this  poem  in  his  pocket,  and 
at  the  request  of  some  boys  he  brought  it  out, 
and,  instead  of  listening  to  the  lesson,  gi^atified 
Ms  vanity  by  seeing  how  desirous  nearly  all 
the  form  were  of  reading  it ;  not  that  they  were 
all  particularly  fond  of  poetry,  but  many  of 
them,  with  real  schoolboy  perverseness,  wished 
to  attend  to  anything  rather  than  the  lesson. 
It  was  handed  down  the  form,  and  one  by  one 
the  fellows  looked  at  Charlie  and  nodded  ap« 
proval.  But  when  it  came  to  Gordon,  who 
was  sitting  on  the  bench  immediately  before 
Charlie,  he  looked  at  a  line  or  two,  and  then 
flung  it  on  the  floor  with  a  contemptuous  look, 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  269 

and  an  undertone  exclamation  of  '-  Bosh  ! " 
This  was  rather  mortifying  to  Charlie's  vanity, 
and  provoked  him  to  try  and  snatch  one  of 
Gordon's  books,  by  way  of  retaliation.  Lurn 
was  sitting  next  Gordon,  and  he  tried  to  pick 
up  the  paper,  but  Gordon  set  his  foot  on  it; 
and  when  at  length  Lurn  did  get  it  and  hand 
it  to  Charlie,  it  was  all  dirty  and  torn.  A  sly 
scuffle  between  Charlie  and  Gordon  now  com- 
menced ;  whenever  Mr.  Seymour's  attention 
was  not  fixed  on  them,  kicks  and  blows  were 
exchanged,  and  the  ill-humor  of  the  combatants 
increased.  At  length  Mr.  Seymour,  turning 
suddenly  round,  discovered  Gordon  in  the  act 
of  trying  to  catch  Charlie's  leg,  and  said,  in  his 
cold,  hard  voice  — 

"  Gordon,  if  you  cannot  conduct  yourself 
properly  in  my  class,  you  must  be  taught  to  do 
so.  If  I  have  spoken  to  you  once,  I  must  have 
spoken  to  you  twelve  times  this  month,  about 
creating  disturbances.  You  will  go  to  Mr. 
Horsley  at  twelve  o'clock.  In  the  meantime, 
go  down  three  places." 

Gordon   sulkily   obeyed,   without  speaking. 


270  OUDENDALE: 

But  when  the  lesson  was  over,  and  they  had 
got  out  into  the  quadrangle,  he  rushed  up  to 
Charlie,  exclaiming  — 

"  What  did  you  get  me  into  a  row  for  ?  " 

"  What  did  you  get  yourself  into  a  row  for, 
you  mean,"  retorted  Charlie. 

"  I  didn't.     You  begun.     You  kicked  me." 

"But  you  trampled  on  my  piece  of  poetry 
first." 

"  Piece  of  nonsense  !  Who  would  read  such 
humbug  ?  " 

"  Everybody  but  fools,  like  you,"  said  Charlie, 
nettled  by  Gordon's  contempt  for  his  poetical 
powers. 

At  this,  Gordon  fairly  lost  his  temper,  and 
flying  at  Charlie,  struck  out  at  his  face.  Charlie 
parried  the  blow,  and  returned  it,  to  the  great 
delight  of  many  of  the  spectators,  who  thought 
that  a  regular  fight  was  going  to  take  place. 

"Go  it — the  saint!"  said  Harrison,  with  a 
sneer.  "  He's  not  such  a  saint  after  all,  though ; 
for  dear  little  good  boys  never  ought  to  let  their 
angry  passions  rise." 

These  words  had  a  very  different  effect  from 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  271 

what  Harrison  intended.  Charlie's  arm  dropped 
to  his  side  as  he  heard  them,  and  he  drew  back. 
Gordon  also  stood  still,  and  for  an  instant  they 
stood  looking  at  one  another,  hot,  panting,  and 
excited.  Then  Charlie  spoke,  with  an  effort, 
but  firmly  : 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Gordon.  I  was  wrong 
to  provoke  you.     It  was  my  fault." 

Gordon  looked  rather  surprised,  but  did  not 
immediately  recover  his  good-humor,  and  only 
answered  this  frank  confession  by  turning  away. 
Charlie  ran  after  him,  and  whispered  — 

"  I  am  very  sorry  I  got  you  into  a  row.  I'll 
go  and  ask  Seymour  to  let  me  be  caned  instead 
of  you." 

"  You  may  spare  yourself  the  trouble,"  said 
Gordon,  rather  sulkily,  and  walked  off. 

But  Charlie  was  resolved  to  get  Gordon  off  if 
he  could.  He  waited  for  Mr.  Seymour  coming 
across  the  quadrangle,  and  going  up  to  him,  said : 

"  Please,  sir,  will  you  let  me  be  caned  instead 
of  Gordon  ?  It  wasn't  his  fault  that  he  made  a 
row,  for  I  kicked  him  first,  and  he  was  only 
turning  round  to  hit  me  back." 


272  OUDENDALE: 

"  Your  accusing  yourself  by  no  means  ex- 
tenuates him,"  said  Mr.  Seymour,  in  his  dry, 
unsympathizing  manner.  "  If  you  were  both 
concerned  in  creating  the  disturbance,  5^ou  must 
both  go  to  Mr.  Horsley  and  be  caned." 

"But—" 

"  Not  another  word.  You  must  both  be  pun- 
ished,"—  and  Mr.  Seymour  strode  on. 

So,  at  twelve  o'clock,  Charlie  and  Gordon 
both  went  to  Mr.  Horsley,  and  were  caned. 
That  gentleman  was  in  one  of  his  worst  humors 
that  day,  and  gave  them  a  very  severe  caning ; 
but  being  caned  in  company  had  the  effect  of 
restoring  better  feeling  between  them.  Com- 
munity of  suffering  begets  sympathy,  whether 
the  suffering  be  caused  by  the  rule  of  tyrants 
or  by  the  cane.  So  Charlie  and  Gordon  made 
it  all  up  again ;  and  by  that  evening,  after  a 
splendid  and  successful  match,  they  had  for- 
gotten all  about  what  had  passed,  and  when 
they  were  undressing  for  bed,  triumphantly 
exhibited  to  their  companions  certain  blue  marks 
across  their  shoulders,  more  puerorum. 

These  incidents,  trifling  as  they  may  seem. 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  273 

are  recorded  only  to  show  that  Charlie  was  by 
no  means  perfect,  and  often  slipped  upon  the 
way  of  righteousness.  But  while  once  he  had 
sinned  thoughtlessly  and  carelessly,  he  was  now 
sincerely  sorry  for  all  his  faults,  and  remem- 
bered that  every  time  he  had  given  way  to  an 
angry  thought  or  word,  or  had  imperfectly  pre- 
pared his  lessons,  or  had  broken  any  of  the 
school  rules,  that  he  had  displeased  God.  The 
best  of  Christians  often  err,  often  fail  in  their 
duty ;  but,  whether  boys  or  men,  there  is  no  con- 
demnation to  those  who  truly  repent,  and  trust 
for  forgiveness  to  Christ  Jesus  their  Saviour. 
18 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

"BETTER  THAN"  THE  MIGHTY." 

"He  that  is  slow  to  anger  is  better  than  the  mighty;  and  he 
that  ruleth  his  spirit  than  he  that  talieth  a  city/' 

Provekbs  xvi.  32. 

About  this  time,  Edmonds,  who  we  recently 
read  of  as  suffering  a  great  humiliation,  began 
to  lift  up  his  head  again,  and  to  take  to  his  old 
practice  of  annoying  other  boys,  though  his 
late  misfortunes  had  taught  him  to  be  prudent 
and  cautious  not  to  go  too  far.  Among  those 
whom  he  took  a  delight  in  tormenting  was 
Charlie.  He  teased  and  annoyed  him  in  every 
possible  way,  either  for  the  mere  sake  of  an- 
noying, or  for  the  purpose  of  picking  a  quarrel 
with  him,  that  he  might  regain  some  part  of 
his  credit  by  a  victorious  fight. 

Charlie  was  now  trying  his  very  best  to  keep 
up  in  the  form,  and  please  his  masters,  and  his 
efforts  had  not  been  without  success.     It  may 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  275 

be  imagined,  therefore,  with  what  horror  he  one 
day  found  Edmonds  sitting  beside  him,  doing 
everything  he  could  think  of  to  tease  him  and 
distract  his  attention.  At  one  time  he  would 
smudge  his  book  with  a  pencil,  then  he  would 
pull  his  hair,  then  he  would  prick  him  with  a 
pin.  Poor  Charlie  was  very  much  distressed, 
and  at  first  felt  angry  at  his  tormentor. 

"  What  a  horrid  brute  that  Edmonds  is !  I 
have  a  good  mind  to  fight  him,  though  he  is  so 
big  and  strong.  I'll  pay  him  out  for  this  some 
day." 

But  these  angry  thoughts  did  not  so  fill  his 
heart  that  he,  could  not  hear  a  small  still  voice 
whispering  within  it,  "  Be  ye  kind  to  one  an- 
other, tender-hearted,  forgiving  one  another." 

"  But  I  can't  go  on  always  forgiving  people, 
unless  they  stop  teasing  me,"  thought  Charlie, 
as  Edmonds  ran  a  pin  into  his  leg.  "  I  don't 
wish  to  feel  angry  with  him,  if  he  would  only 
leave  me  alone  now."  And  again  the  voice  of 
conscience  whispered,  "  Not  once,  nor  twice, 
nor  seven  times,  but  seventy  times  seven." 

"  0  God,  help  me  not  to  feel  angry,"  sighed 


276  OUDENDALE: 

Charlie,  silently.  At  that  moment  Edmonds 
jerked  his  book  from  his  hand,  and  it  fell  on 
the  floor.  Charlie  stooped  to  pick  it  up,  while 
Edmonds  tried  to  kick  it  away,  and  Mr.  Cam- 
pion, who  had  been  attracted  by  the  noise, 
turned  round  and  saw  them  struggling. 

"Edmonds  and  Campion,  down  three  places," 
he  said.  He  had  a  pretty  strong  suspicion  that 
Edmonds  was  in  the  wrong,  but  he  made  no 
inquiry  into  it,  so  over-careful  was  he  of  ap- 
pearing to  favor  his  cousin. 

Charlie  went  down  three  places ;  and  oh,  how 
hard  it  was  for  him  not  to  feel  angry  with 
Edmonds,  who  did  not  care  a  bit  for  losing 
three  places,  and  began  to  exult  over  Charlie's 
misfortune  the  moment  Mr.  Campion  looked 
away.  Then  he  commenced  to  tease  him  again ; 
but  this  soon  came  to  an  end :  for  being  called 
on  to  construe,  he  of  course  made  a  frightful 
mess  of  it,  and  presently  found  himself  in  his 
proper  element,  at  the  bottom  of  the  class. 

When  Charlie  had  got  rid  of  this  unpleasant 
neighbor,  he  kept  trying  with  all  his  might  to 
drive  away  from  his  heart  every  angry  thought 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  277 

about  him.  Ah  !  there  is  no  virtue  more  hard 
to  exercise  than  the  long-suffering  charity  which 
beareth  all  things,  and  thinketli  no  evil ;  yet 
there  is  none  which  our  Saviour  has  more 
strongly  commended  to  us,  both  by  precept  and 
example,  and  none  which,  when  practised,  gives 
more  joy  and  happiness  to  the  heart.  Charlie 
tried  to  think  on  how  much  insult,  ingratitude, 
torture,  agony,  both  of  body  and  spirit,  had 
been  undergone  by  Him  who  said,  at  the  height 
of  all  his  sufferings,  "  Father,  forgive  them  ;  " 
and  before  the  lesson  was  over,  felt  that  he  also 
had  overcome  his  anger  at  Edmonds. 

After  morning  school  Charlie  went  down  to 
the  cricket-field  to  practise  with  his  eleven. 
When  his  turn  for  going  in  came,  he  hit  the 
first  ball  away  to  leg  for  three,  in  splendid  style. 

"  Well  hit,  indeed,  Campion,"  cried  Branlow, 
who  was  looking  at  the  game  with  a  patronizing 
manner,  being  one  of  the  eleven  of  the  school. 

"  Well  hit,"  echoed  some  of  the  smaller  boys, 
who  were  looking  on  also. 

Charlie  felt  gratified  by  this  praise,  and  had  the 
agreeable  foreknowledge  which  cricketers  some- 


278  OUDENDALE: 

times  have,  that  he  was  going  to  make  a  splen- 
did score.  But  the  very  next  ball  twisted  about 
four  yards  from  the  wicket,  and  struck  his  leg. 

"  How's  that  ? '' 

"  Not  out,"  cried  Charlie.  "  I  don't  think 
my  leg  was  before  the  wickets." 

"Yes  it  was,"  cried  Edmonds,  who  was 
standing  close  by,  though  not  one  of  the  players. 

"  Did  you  see  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  did ;  it  was  before  the  wickets  as 
plain  as  possible ; "  and  as  Edmonds  said  this, 
he  gave  a  malicious  look  at  Charlie. 

"  You're  a  liar,"  was  rising  to  Charlie's  lips  ; 
but  suddenly  checking  himself,  he  swallowed 
his  anger  with  a  great  gulp,  and  threw  down 
the  bat. 

"  If  Edmonds  says  he  saw  it,  I  suppose  I 
must  be  out." 

"  What  a  bother ! "  cried  some  of  the  boys 
on  his  side;  but  no  one  disputed  the  matter,  for 
Edmonds  was  the  only  fellow  who  was  standing 
near  in  front  of  the  wickets. 

Charlie  felt  certain  at  first  that  Edmonds  had 
told  an  unscrupulous  lie  to  put  him  out;  but 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  279 

when  be  had  overcome  his  first  angry  feelings, 
he  remembered  that  be  ought  not  to  judge  any 
one  so  harshly,  and  that  it  was  quite  possible 
that  Edmonds  did  really  think  that  bis  leg  was 
before  the  wicket.  So  he  tried  to  forget  all 
about  it. 

A  little  before  dinner-time,  as  Charlie  was 
leaving  the  field  to  go  back  to  the  college,  a 
small  stone  struck  him  on  the  cheek,  and  turn- 
ing round,  he  saw  Edmonds  running  after  him. 

"  Hallo  !  "  cried  Edmonds,  knocking  off  his 
cap  as  he  overtook  him.  "  Why  do  you  presume 
to  leave  the  field  before  your  superiors?  Don't 
put  on  your  hat  again  till  I  tell  you,  sir.  You 
should  always  take  your  hat  off  before  me." 

"  Now,  Edmonds,"  said  Charlie,  "  I  see  quite 
well  what  you  want ;  but  I  can  tell  that  you  are 
not  going  to  make  me  angry  at  you,  nor  to  fight 
you.  I  wish  you  would  leave  me  alone  ;  but 
if  you  will  go  on  bothering  me,  I  am  not  going 
to  get  waxy  at  you." 

"  What  a  fine  speech ! "  said  Edmonds, 
turning  away  with  a  growl ;  but  it  was  quite 
evident  that  he  was  rather  disconcerted  by  it. 


280  OUDENDALE: 

Fellows  like  him  don't  care  about  bullying 
unless  they  can  see  that  they  are  causing  an- 
noyance and  useless  anger  in  their  victims. 

That  day  was  a  half-holiday.  As  Charlie  was 
bounding  off,  about  half  an  hour  after  dinner, 
to  the  field,  full  of  boyish  spirits  and  light- 
heartedness,  he  took  a  sudden  fancy  to  look 
into  the  English  schoolroom,  the  door  of  which 
was  open.  Here  he  found  no  one  but  Edmonds, 
who  was  sitting  writing  an  imposition. 

"  Get  out  of  that !  "  he  growled,  looking  up 
for  a  moment,  and  seeing  Charlie. 

But  a  thought  came  into  Charlie's  head,  and 
for  a  moment  he  lingered  near  the  door,  uncer- 
tain whether  to  go  or  stay  ;  for  he  was  thinking 
of  doing  something  that  would  invoke  a  great 
deal  of  self-denial.  In  a  little  he  had  made  up 
his  mind,  and  advanced  to  the  desk  where  Ed- 
monds was  writing. 

"  Have  you  got  a  long  impo',  Edmonds  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  two  hundred  lines  of  Milton,  con- 
found you  !     What  business  is  it  of  yours  ?  " 

"  If  you  like  I'll  stay  and  read  the  lines  to 
you,  and  so  you  can  do  it  much  quicker." 


A   TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  281 

"You!  "  said  Edmonds,  looking  up,  quickly. 

"  Yes  ;  give  me  the  book." 

For  a  moment  Edmonds  felt  ashamed  to  ac- 
cept this  offer  from  one  whom  he  had  treated 
so  ill,  and  then  answered,  though  in  a  half- 
doubting  tone,  "  All  right."  • 

So  Charlie  stayed  in  for  an  hour  reading  the 
lines  of  Milton  to  Edmonds,  while  the  June 
sun  shone  brightly  into  the  dusty  room,  and 
the  cool  breeze  came  in  at  the  open  window,  as 
if  to  remind  him  what  he  was  giving  up  ;  and 
while  he  was  reading  the  words  of  the  poem, 
his  thoughts  were  all  the  time  far  away  in  the 
cricket-field,  where  he  imagined  he  could  almost 
hear  the  shouts  of  his  companions,  who  all  the 
while  were  wondering  what  had  become  of  him. 
At  length  the  imposition  was  finished,  and  Ed- 
monds threw  down  his  pen  with  a  sigh  of  relief. 

"Now  I  must  be  off  to  the  field,"  said  Char- 
lie.    "  I  should  have  been  there  an  hour  ago." 

Edmonds  in  an  embarrassed  manner  mumbled 
out  something  about  being  much  obliged ;  but 
though  he  did  not  say  much,  yet  this  piece  of 
kindness  on  Charlie's  part  was  not  lost  upon 


282  OUDENDALE. 

him.  Not  that  his  disposition  was  changed,  for 
the  leopard  does  not  so  easily  change  his  spots; 
but  at  all  events  he  never  tried  again  to  an- 
noy Charlie,  and  even  showed  a  sort  of  rough 
friendship  for  him  after  this. 

As  for  Charlie,  he  felt  as  happy  as  only  those 
who  know  what  it  is  to  obey  God's  command- 
ments can  understand,  and  could  pray  without 
his  conscience  reproaching  him,  "  And  forgive 
us  our  trespasses,  as  we  forgive  them  that  tres- 
pass against  us."  And  when,  that  afternoon, 
he  carried  out  his  bat  with  a  score  of  fifty-three, 
he  felt  an  additional  satisfaction  in  hearing 
Edmonds's  voice  one  of  the  loudest  among  those 
applauding  and  congratulating  him. 

Oh  that  we  all  tried  only  to  overcome  evil  by 
good  !  It  seems  hard  ;  but  it  will  be  found  by 
far  the  best  and  the  easiest  way  in  the  end ;  for 
if  God's  Holy  Spirit  is  with  us,  our  own  evil 
inclinations  can  have  no  power  against  us. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE  CONFIRMATION. 

**  Knee  against  knee,  they  knitted  a  wreatli  round  tlie  altar's 
enclosure. 
Kneeling,  be  read  them  the  prayers  of  the  consecration;  and, 

softly, 
With  him  the  children  read;  at  the  close,  -with  tremulous 

accents, 
Asked  he  the  peace  of  heaven,  a  benediction  upon  them." 
Tegner,  translated  by  Longfellow. 

At  length  the  day  of  the  confirmation  came. 
The  college  chapel  was  crowded  both  with  the 
boys  themselves  and  also  with  other  spectators. 
Those  who  were  about  to  be  confirmed  sat  in 
front  by  themselves. 

Alas,  though  there  was  a  general  impression 
of  seriousness  among  them,  many  did  not  feel 
the  importance  and  sacredness  of  the  vow  which 
they  were  going  to  make,  and  there  were  even 
one  or  two  who  dared  to  behave  with  levity. 

At  all  events,  Charlie  deeply  felt  the  solem- 
nity of  the  occasion,  and  it  was  with  a  spirit  of 


284  OUDENDALE: 

real  fervor  and  supplication  that  he  joined  in 
the  hymn  — 

"  Beset  ■«'ith  snares  on  every  hand, 
In  life's  uncertain  path  I  stand; 
Saviour  divine,  diffuse  thy  light 
To  y;uide  my  doubtful  footsteps  right. 

*  Engage  this  roving,  treacherous  heart, 
Great  God,  to  choose  the  better  part; 
To  scorn  the  trifles  of  a  day 
For  joys  that  none  can  take  away." 

Charlie  felt  indeed  that  the  Light  of  the 
World  was  diffused  through  his  soul;  and  when 
he  advanced  to  the  altar-rails,  his  whole  heart 
was  given  up  to  God.  And  then  the  bishop 
laid  his  hands  upon  his  head,  and  prayed  that 
he  migl^t  continue  God's  forever,  defended  by 
heavenly  grace,  and  might  increase  in  the  Holy 
Spirit  more  and  more,  till  he  came  at  length 
into  the  everlasting  kingdom  of  heaven. 

Charlie  made  his  way  back  to  his  seat,  scarcely 
knowing  where  he  went ;  for  his  mind  was  all 
filled  with  the  thought  that  his  sins  were  for- 
given for  the  sake  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  would 
lead  and  guide  him  through  life  into  eternity. 
As  he  bent  his  head  in  silent  prayer,  his  full 
heart  overflowed,  and  he  wept  tears  of  joy. 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  '285 

Call  not  such  tears  mere  sentiment.  The  love 
of  God  has  power  to  move  the  penitent  heart, 
which  the  scoffer  and  the  worldly  man  can 
neither  know  nor  understand. 

It  was  indeed  a  solemn  scene.  There  are 
many  who  would  call  the  mere  rite  of  confirma- 
tion unnecessary,  or  even  unscriptural ;  but  can 
it  be  wrong  for  young  souls  to  offer  themselves 
publicly  to  the  Lord,  renouncing  sin  and  prom- 
ising to  endeavor  by  Christ's  help  to  do  his 
will  ?  Ah,  that  such  solemn  vows  should  be  so 
often  broken,  and  that  such  good  resolutions 
should  be  in  too  many  cases  so  soon  forgotten  ! 

Then  came  the  bishop's  sermon,  containing 
both  a  solemn  warning  and  a  powerful  encour- 
agement. 

"  If  any  of  you  have  taken  upon  you  these 
sacred  vows  without  duly  considering  their 
importance,  and  without  intending  earnestly 
and  prayerfully  to  regard  them,  oh,  remember 
that  you  have  not  lied  unto  men,  but  unto  God, 
and  that  to  sucli  as  offend  against  him  our  God 
is  a  consuming  fire.  Yet,  though  terrible  to 
impenitent  sinners,  to  those  who  truly,  humbly 


286  OUDENDALE: 

seek  him,  however  great  their  past  sins  and 
their  present  weakness,  he  will  show  himself  a 
God  of  infinite  love  and  mercy.  Even  while 
he  proclaims  his  displeasure  at  our  sins  —  the 
awful  wages  which  they  will  at  length  procure 
us  —  the  Father's  heart  yearns  for  us  lost, 
blind,  ignorant  sinners.  The  return  of  one  of 
us  to  the  right  path  will  fill  all  heaven  with 
angelic  joy.  If  we  come  in  the  name  of  Christ, 
sin  and  Satan  cannot  prevent  us ;  for  he  be- 
fore us  has  fought  the  good  fight,  and  has  ob- 
tained the  victory.  Oh,  leave  all  the  vain, 
deadly  works  of  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the 
devil,  and  seek  the  God  who  has  created  and 
redeemed  you  ;  for  he  is  love." 

That  evening  Cholmondeley  and  Charlie  took 
a  walk  up  the  Ouden.  They  were  often  together 
now ;  and  some  boys  in  the  school,  such  as 
Handyside,  did  not  hesitate  to  hint  that  Charlie 
pretended  to  be  religious  in  order  to  gain  Chol- 
mondeley's  favor.  They  could  not  account 
otherwise  for  the  cliange  which  had  come  over 
him  during  the  last  few  weeks.  It  is  possible 
that  some  of  those  who  read  this  story  may  bo 


A  TALE    OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  287 

inclined  to  sneer  also,  not  knowing  the  power 
wliicli  the  Spirit  of  God  has  to  change  the  hu- 
man heart.  Charlie's  heart  was  now  filled  with 
that  Spirit,  and  every  day  he  was  growing  in 
grace,  and  his  eyes  were  becoming  more  and 
more  opened  to  see  the  boundless  and  wonder- 
ful love  of  God. 

The  sun  was  just  sinking  in  a  bed  of  golden 
and  purple  clouds  as  they  turned  to  go  back  to 
the  college,  and  they  stood  still  for  a  moment 
to  look  at  it. 

"  There,  Charlie,  my  boy!  "  exclaimed  Chol- 
mondeley,  pointing  to  it.  "What  a  beautiful 
sky !  You  are  a  bit  of  a  poet,  aren't  you  ? 
Couldn't  you  say  something  poetical  about 
that  ? " 

Charlie  smiled,  and  after  gazing  at  the  sun- 
set for  a  moment,  drew  his  arm  within  Cliol- 
mondeley's,  saying: 

"  When  I  see  a  beautiful  sunset,  I  feel  in- 
clined to  think  of  death.  Do  you  know,  Chol- 
mondeley,  I  feel  as  if  I  should  like  to  die  ? 
And  thinking  about  heaven  makes  me  think 
about  my  mother  too.     I  recollect  when  I  used 


288  OUDENDALE: 

to  sit  on  her  knee,  when  I  was  a  small  fellow 
with  long  curls,  and  sing  '  There  is  a  happy- 
land,  far,  far  away.'  It  seems  just  like  yester- 
day. And  I  do  wish  that  mamma  was  alive 
to-day,  and  saw  me  being  confirmed :  she  would 
have  been  so  glad !  But  I  daresay  it's  wrong 
for  me  to  be  wishing  after  what  God  hasn't 
wished  to  happen.     He  knows  best." 

"  Yes  ;  I  am  afraid  we  often  forget  that," 
said  Cholmondeley,  musingly. 

"  Look  at  the  sunset  now ! "  said  Charlie, 
after  a  short  pause.  ''  I  could  stay  here  for- 
ever  looking  at  these  splendid  clouds." 

"  But  we  must  not  spend  our  lives  looking 
at  beautiful  clouds,"  said  Cholmondeley,  laugh- 
ing. "  We  must  attend  to  sterner  duties  ;  and 
one  of  these  said  duties  is  to  be  inside  the 
college  gates  before  the  bell  has  stopped,  which 
we  won't  be  if  we  stay  here  much  longer." 

"  How  unpoetic  you  are  !  "  laughed  Charlie, 
and  they  turned  and  went  back  towards  the 
coUeore. 

Charlie  often  felt  as  if  he  would  like  to  die 
at  once,  and  go  into  the  arms  of  his  Saviour, 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  289 

where  his  mother  had  gone  before  him.  His 
greatest  trouble  now  was  the  fear  of  sinning 
and  falling  asleep  on  the  narrow  path,  for  he 
felt  that  he  was  weak  and  sinful ;  but  he  tried 
to  trust  in  the  help  and  grace  of  a  mightier  One 
than  himself, — One  who,  having  suffered,  being 
tempted,  is  able  to  succor  them  that  are  tempted. 
"  Try,  like  Paul,  to  give  yourself  entirely  up 
to  the  will  of  God,"  said  Mr.  Campion,  to  whom 
in  his  open-heartedness  Charlie  one  day  com- 
municated tliese  feelings.  "  Perhaps  in  his 
infinite  wisdom  he  may  see  fit  to  glorify  himself 
in  your  early  death,  or  perhaps  he  may  wish 
you  to  fight  a  long  and  difficult  battle  for  him 
on  earth,  before  he  gives  you  rest  in  heaven. 
But  whatever  be  his  will,  trust  in  him,  and  let 
your  prayer  be  — 

*  Teach  me  to  live,  that  I  may  dread 
The  grave  as  little  as  ray  hed; 
Teach  me  to  die,  that  so  I  may 
Rise  glorious  at  the  awful  day.' " 

19 


CHAPTER  XXIY. 

WISE  AND  FOOLISH. 

"The  furthest  from  the  fear 
Are  often  nearest  to  the  stroke  of  fate." 

Young. 

It  was  the  last  Sunday  before  the  long  holi- 
days, and  that  morning  Charhe  had,  for  the 
first  time,  with  deep  reverence  and  gratitude, 
partaken  of  the  holy  symbols  of  the  Body  and 
Blood,  given  for  him  to  preserve  his  soul  to 
everlasting  life.  It  was  now  late  in  the  after- 
noon, and  he  was  lying  by  himself  on  the  top 
of  a  cliff,  looking  down  upon  the  bed  of  the 
Ouden.  It  was  a  precipitous  cliff,  on  the  face 
of  which  grew  a  few  stunted  shrubs  ;  but  on 
the  top  was  a  small  platform  covered  with  long 
grass  and  buttercups,  and  here  Charlie  liked 
to  lie  and  gaze  down  on  the  river,  and  then 
away  over  the  dale  towards  Meadenburgh,  and 
on  till  the  blue  sky  met  a  distant  range  of  hills. 

But  to-day  Charlie  was  not  looking   at  the 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  291 

landscape.  He  was  thinking  of  all  that  God 
had  done  for  him.  Young  as  he  was,  he  now 
saw  clearly  how,  in  the  midst  of  his  own  wick- 
edness and  folly,  God's*  goodness  had  been 
leading  him  to  repentance.  He  was  indeed 
happy  —  happier  than  many  of  us  can  under- 
stand —  for  his  heart  was  filled  with  peace. 

All  the  beauties  of  nature,  which  his  rather 
poetical  mind  had  formerly  taken  pleasure  in 
for  their  own  sake  alone,  now  shone  with  a  far 
greater  loveliness,  for  they  told  him  of  the  love 
and  bounty  of  God.  And  with  the  thought  of 
God's  goodness  came  that  of  his  own  sinfulness 
and  unworthiness,  and  his  imagination  was  lost 
in  endeavoring  to  contemplate  such  a  pure  and 
merciful  Being  as  he  who  so  loved  the  world 
that  he  gave  himself  to  die  for  its  sins,  and  in 
spite  of  all  our  boundless  wickedness  and  in- 
gratitude still  is  waiting  to  hear  and  forgive. 
All  who  have  experienced  the  fervor  of  a  Chris- 
tian's first  love,  will  understand  his  feelings. 
Do  not  say  that  it  is  impossible  for  boys  to  have 
such  feelings.  Boys  do  have  them  sometimes, 
but  ah !  far  too  seldom. 

Charlie  was  interrupted  in  his  reveries  by  the 


292  OUDENDALE: 

approaching  sound  of  voices,  and  starting  up,  he 
saw  Lurn  and  Handyside  walking  together,  and 
coming  towards  him.  Lurn  and  Handyside 
were  cousins,  but  they  were  not  very  intimate, 
and  so  it  was  but  seldom  that  they  might  be 
seen  walking  together. 

"  Hallo,  Charlie !"  exclaimed  Lurn,  as  they 
came  up,  "  are  you  here  ?  I  was  looking  for 
you  after  chapel,  to  go  a  walk  -wjith  you,  but  I 
couldn't  find  you." 

"That's  as  much  as  to  say  that  you  only 
went  with  me  for  want  of  anybody  better.  Yery 
polite  ! "  growled  Handyside.  "  But  if  you  are 
intending  to  do  your  exercise  to-night,  as  you 
said,  you  had  better  come  back  now  with  me, 
and  I'll  lend  you  my  key." 

Lurn  winked  and  frowned  at  Handyside  all 
the  time  he  was  saying  this,  for  he  had  just 
enough  respect  for  Charlie's  religious  feelings 
not  to  wish  him  to  know  that  he  intended  doing 
his  exercise  out  of  a  crib  on  Sunday  ;  but  Han- 
dyside either  did  not  see,  or  pretended  not  to 
see,  and  so  Charlie  heard  it  all. 

"  0  Lurn  !  surely  you  are  not  going  to  do 
your  exercise  on  Sunday,"  he  said. 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  293 

"  I  hadn't  any  time  for  it  yesterday."  1 

"  But  it's  not  right —" 

"  Confound  you,  Campion,  you're  always  cant- 
ing away  like  an  old  woman,"  broke  in  Han- 
dyside. 

"  Handyside,  don't  you  know  that  God — " 

"  I  know  that  that  religion  of  yours  is  all 
stuff.  Of  course  I  believe  about  Christ  dying, 
and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  and  that  Dissenters 
are  booked  for  the  wrong  place,  because  it's  all 
stuck  down  in  the  Prayer-book ;  but  as  for  pray- 
ing and  talking  about  doing  right,  it's  all  non- 
sense, and  just  fit  for  old  women.  Religion 
only  keeps  you  from  having  fun,  and  doing 
things  that  you  like  to  do. " 

"  Religion  only  keeps  you  from  doing  what's 
wrong,  but  it  does  not  make  you  unhappy. 
You  can  never  be  really  happy  without  reli- 
gion, —  that  is,  without  trusting  in  Christ,  and 
trying  to  do  right." 

"  Stuff !  I  know  I  would  much  rather  be 
bagging  apples  out  of  an  orchard  than  reading 
great  dry  books  that  you  don't  understand." 

"  I'm  sure  I  never  read  great  dry  books  that 


294  OUDENDALE: 

I  don't  understand.  But  I  don't  call  the  Bible 
a  dry  book.  I  think  it  is  the  most  beautiful 
book  that  was  ever  written." 

"  And  I  suppose  you  think  Sunday's  the  jol- 
liest  day  in  all  the  week? " 

"  Yes,  I  do." 

"  Some  people  have  queer  tastes,"  said  Han- 
dyside,  with  a  sneer. 

"  I  must  confess  I  do  not  like  Sunday,"  said 
Lurn,  who  had  not  joined  the  discussion  till 
now.  "  You  see,  when  I  was  a  small  boy,  my 
governor  and  my  mater  kept  me  awfully  quiet 
and  good  on  Sunday,  and  made  me  go  to  church, 
and  listen,  or  pretend  to  listen,  to  sermons  that 
I  didn't  understand  a  word  of,  and  learn  cat- 
echisms and  hymns  all  day  long.  So  Sunday 
used  to  be  the  most  wearisome  of  the  whole 
week  to  me,  and  I  still  rather  dislike  it.  The 
same  way  I  have  taken  a  sort  of  disgust  at  the 
Bible,  because  I  used  to  get  lots  of  it  to  learn 
when  I  was  naughty.  You  see  they  are  very 
religious  themselves,  and  they  really  tried  to 
make  me  good,  but  I  don't  think  they  set  the 
right  way  about  it.     Anyhow,  I  know  that  I 


A  Ti\XE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  295 

don't  love  God,  and  don't  want  to  think  about 
religion.  Perhaps  I  shall  after  a  wliile,  but  not 
just  now." 

"  Oh,  I  hate  all  these  strict  people,"  said  Han- 
djside.  "  I  hate  going  to  church,  and  oh,  I 
detest  and  abominate  chapel,  though  one  bless- 
ing is,  that  it  does  not  last  long.  What  is  the 
use  of  making  us  turn  out  at  seven  every  morn- 
ing to  go  and  sit  wliile  a  fellow  drones  away 
out  of  the  reading-desk,  with  nobody  listening 
to  him  ? '  I  shall  never  go  to  church  at  all  when 
I  cut  school." 

"  Till  the  school  cuts  you  —  till  you  are  ex- 
pelled, you  mean,"  lauglied  Lurn,  the  half-seri- 
ous thoughts  which  had  for  a  moment  occu- 
pied his  mind  giving  way  to  his  natiiral  levity. 

"  The  school's  a  devilish  deal  too  much 
honored  by  my  presence  to  cut  me.  What  are 
you  looking  glum  at,  Campion  ?  —  at  me  saying 
'  devilish  '  ?  If  you  like,  I'll  say  it  again,  and 
something  stronger  too,  if  you  wish  it." 

"  I  wish  you  wouldn't  talk  that  way.  Handy- 
side,"  said  Charlie.  "  Think  what  would  hap- 
pen to  you  if  you  were  to  die." 


296  OtJDENDALE: 

"  But  I'm  not  going  to  die  so  easily,  my 
young  cock  of  a  parson  ;  so  don't  you  be  afraid. 
I  shan't  interfere  with  your  religion,  Campion, 
so  long  as  you  keep  it  to  yourself;  but  I  can't 
stand  having  it  continually  thrown  at  my  head. 
One  would  think  we  were  all  going  to  kick  the 
bucket  right  off,  by  the  way  you  speak.  I  say, 
Frank,  let  us  jump  over  the  cliff  and  get 
smashed,  to  please  Campion." 

"  Hang  it,  don't  talk  about  kicking  the  buck- 
et," said  Lurn,  uneasily,  for  the  voice  of  con- 
science was  not  altogether  silent  within  him. 
"  Let  us  shut  up  the  whole  affair,  and  talk 
about  something  else." 

Charlie's  heart  sunk  as  he  heard  Lurn  speak 
thus,  for  he  was  very  anxious  that  Lurn  should 
think  more  seriously.  But  he  thought  of  all 
the  reproach  and  ridicule  which  Christ  had 
suffered,  and  scarcely  even  noticed  the  remark 
which  Handy  side  made  with  a  sneer. 

"  So  the  sermon  is  over,  is  it  ?  Hadn't  you 
better  hand  round  the  plate  now,  Frank  ?  " 

For  a  minute  they  all  stood  silent,  and  Han- 
dyside  amused  himself  by  throwing  stones  over 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  297 

the  cliff  into  the  Ouden,  and  watching  the  splash 
which  they  made. 

"Are  you  coming  back  to  the  college,  then, 
Handyside  ? "  asked  Lurn,  after  a  little.  He  felt 
uncomfortable  staying  with  Charlie  after  what 
he  had  said,  as  he  had  a  consciousness  that  Char- 
lie was  too  good  to  be  his  friend  any  longer. 

"  Hold  hard  a  moment,"  exclaimed  Handy- 
side,  peering  over  the  cliff  at  something  half- 
way down  it,  which  caught  his  attention.  "  I 
declare,  there  is  a  kingfisher's  nest  —  upon  my 
word  it  is:  my  brother  saw  a  kingfisher  here 
the  other  day." 

"  No  more  a  kingfisher's  nest  than  I  am," 
observed  Lurn,  after  looking  at  the  object  which 
Handyside  pointed  out.  "  No  kingfisher  would 
be  such  a  fool  as  to  build  its  nest  in  such  an 
open  place." 

"  I  wonder  if  a  fellow  could  get  down  there," 
said  Handyside,  kneeling  by  the  edge  of  the 
cliff,  and  stretching  himself  over  it. 

"  Oh  !  take  care,  Handyside,  you'll  be  over," 
cried  Charlie ;  but  before  the  words  were  well 
out  of  his  lips,  Handyside  lost  his  balance,  and 
fell  headlong  over  the  cliff. 


298  OUDENDALE: 

For  a  moment  Charlie  and  Lurn  stared  at 
one  another  in  terror,  and  then  both  sprang  to 
the  edge,  and  looked  down  with  a  vague  dread. 
But  they  were  relieved  to  see  that  Handyside 
had  caught  a  projecting  point  of  rock  about 
half-way  down,  and  was  clinging  to  it. 

Charlie's  was  one  of  those  unexcitable  char- 
acters to  which  sudden  emergencies  often  bring 
coolness  and  courage.  Without  a  moment's 
irresolution,  he  said,  hurriedly  : 

"  I  shall  climb  down  to  that  ledge  there,  and 
try  to  haul  him  up  to  it." 

"  0  Charlie,  you  will  be  killed !  Let  me 
go  —  I  am  lighter  than  you,"  cried  Lurn. 

"  Don't  put  off  time  talking.  Hear  him  cry- 
ing for  help.  Here  goes.  God  help  me.  His 
arms  will  soon  get  tired,  and  then  he  will  drop." 

While  he  had  been  saying  this,  Charlie  had 
been  letting  himself  down  over  the  edge  of  the 
cliff,  and  now  began  to  make  his  way  down  as 
fast  as  possible,  while  Lurn  looked  after  him 
with  a  beating  heart.  Handyside  was  suspend- 
ed shrieking  upon  the  small  point  of  rock,  but 
he  had  a  very  slight  hold  of  it,  and  no  place  to 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  299 

put  liis  feet  on,  so  that  he  seemed  likely  to  let 
go  unless  speedily  relieved.  Charlie's  hastily- 
formed  plan  was  to  reach  a  ledge  of  rock  im- 
mediately above  him,  and  to  try  and  help  him 
up  to  it. 

Lurn's  presence  of  mind  had  quite  deserted 
him,  and  instead  of  staying  at  the  top  of  the 
cliff,  where  he  might  have  been  of  use  in  help- 
ing them  up,  he  ran  along  it,  and  down  a  path 
which  would  take  him  to  the  bottom  of  it,  keep- 
ing his  eye  fixed  on  Handyside  all  the  while, 
though  he  could  not  see  the  path  where  Charlie 
was  coming  down. 

Handyside  could  now  no  longer  hold  on,  and 
summoning  up  all  his  strength  for  a  grand 
effort,  he  endeavored  to  struggle  upwards  to 
the  ledge  just  above,  but  failed.  He  slipped 
down  again,  and  the  shock  loosened  his  grasp 
on  the  rock.  For  a  moment  he  hung  by  one 
arm,  casting  a  look  of  despair  upon  Charlie, 
who  was  now  close  by  him,  then  his  hold  re- 
laxed, and  with  a  wild  cry  he  fell  to  the  bottom, 
just  as  Lurn  came  beneath  him,  his  head  strik- 
ing upon  a  large  stone,  and  the  blood  spurting 


300  OUDENDALE: 

out  over  Lurn's  trousers.  Lurn  raised  him  up 
immediately,  but  lie  let  the  body  fall  again  with 
a  shudder,  for  it  was  quite  motionless,  and  the 
head  was  almost  crushed ;  and  then  looked  up 
at  Charlie,  who  had  stopped,  and  was  apparently 
unable  to  go  any  further. 

"  Go  back,  Charlie,  go  back  ! "  he  cried  loudly. 
"  It's  no  use." 

"  All  right,"  shouted  Charlie,  trying  to  gain 
a  small  shelf  a  little  higher  up  the  rock.  But 
he  was  unsuccessful,  and  to  save  himself  from 
falling,  caught  hold  of  a  small  bush  which  grew 
out  of  a  cleft.  Lurn's  heart  gave  a  great  leap  as 
he  saw  him  hanging  by  it,  and  that  it  was  being 
gradually  pulled  from  its  roots  by  his  weight. 

^^Oh,  take  care  !  "  he  shouted,  in  an  agony  of 
terror. 

Lurn  dare  look  no  longer,  but  he  knew  that 
a  body  was  spinning  headlong  through  the  air, 
and  in  another  moment  it  fell  with  a  dull  thud 
on  the  stony  ground,  a  few  yards  before  him. 

To  rush  up  to  Charlie,  to  wipe  away  the 
blood  which  oozed  from  his  mouth,  to  assure 
himself  that  he  still  breathed,  to  run  down  to 


A  TALE  OF  SCHOOLBOY  LIFE.  301 

the  Ouden,  and  bring  some  water  in  his  cap, 
was  the  work  of  a  minute  to  Lurn.  He  had 
lost  all  his  nervousness  now,  and  the  events  of 
the  last  few  minutes  seemed  to  him  like  a  hor- 
rible dream. 

When  the  cold  water  was  poured  on  his  face, 
Charlie  began  to  show  signs  of  returning  to 
consciousness,  and  in  a  minute  he  opened  his 
eyes,  and  looked  at  Lurn. 

"  0  Charlie !  shall  I  fetch  some  one  ?  Where 
are  you  hurt  ?     Shall  I  go  for  a  doctor  ?  " 

"  No  —  stay  with  me,  please,"  answered  Char- 
lie, with  an  effort.  "  I  can't  get  better — I  feel  as 
if  my  inside  was  all  smashed." 

"  0  Charlie  !  " 

A  gentle  breeze  arose  just  then,  playing  with 
Charlie's  light  hair,  now  clotted  in  many  places 
with  blood,  and  it  seemed  partially  to  revive 
him.  He  raised  himself  a  little  from  the  ground, 
and  looking  at  Lurn  said,  earnestly,  though  with 
great  difficulty  and  pain : 

"  I  am  going  to  die  now,  I  think,  but  I  am 
very  happy.  I  lay  all  my  sins  on  Jesus  —  he 
has  suffered  for  them  all.      0  Frank,  do  try 


302  OUDENDALE. 

and  be  good.  Yoii  don't  know  what  a  happy 
thing  it  is  to  love  Jesus,  nor  how  much  he  loves 
you.     Do  ask  God  to  give  you  a  new  heart." 

"  I  will  try.  I  will  indeed.  But  0,  Charlie, 
are  you  sure  you  can't  get  better  ?  " 

"I  am  very  happy — and  so  will  you  be  if  you 
are  good.  You  will  get  into  the  first  eleven 
*liow,  and  you  may  have  my  new  bat.  My  Bible 
is  in  my  pocket — keep  it — and  read  it — do  read 
it.  Give  some  —  my  books  —  Cholmondeley  — 
Mr.  Campion.  See  that  Stevenson — isn't  bul- 
lied.   I  feel — very  weak —  and  sleepy — happy." 

Lurn  could  not  speak,  but  gazed  with  wild 
despair  on  Charlie's  face,  now  turned  up  to  the 
blue  sky,  and  covered  with  radiant  joy.  For  a 
moment  he  continued  thus,  and  then  looking 
earnestly  at  Lurn,  grasped  his  hand  with  a 
convulsive  effort. 

"  Good-by,  Frank  —  be  good  —  see  you  in 
heaven — with  Christ — mamma  —  the  angels — 
no  sin  there  —  God  is  love  —  love  —  /ove." 

As  he  was  saying  this,  his  voice  sank  into  an 
inaudible  whisper,  and  he  fell  back  with  a 
happy  smile  on  his  face  —  dead. 


CHAPTER  XXY. 

CONCLUSION 


"  I  can  scarcely  believe  that  I  am  leaving 
dear  old  Oudendale  forever.  It  seems  just  like 
yesterday,  when  I  was  trembling  at  the  door  of 
the  lower  schoolroom,  and  looking  upon  Dr. 
Eden  as  the  most  awful  and  important  being  in 
the  world.  I  am  sure  I  shall  always  look  back 
to  my  school-days  as  the  happiest  time  of  my 
life,  though  I  wish  that  I  had  employed  them 
better.  Then  it  is  hard  to  leave  all  my  friends 
here,  of  whom  I  have  a  great  pack.  There  is 
none  of  them,  though,  whom  I  like  half  so  well 
as  I  liked  one  who  would  have  most  likely  been 
leaving  Oudendale  just  now  too  if  he  had  lived. 
Poor  Charlie !  it  is  just  three  years  since  that 
terrible  Sunday,  when  I  lost  my  best  earthly 
friend,  and  first  began  to  think  seriously  of  my 
heavenly  one.     But  I  should  not  talk   about 


304  OUDENDALE. 

'  poor '  Charlie,  for  he  must  be  happier  far  than 
we  are.  I  have  his  Bible  yet,  which  he  gave 
me  when  he  was  dying,  and  I  value  it  now  both 
for  his  sake  and  its  own.  It  has  these  lines  —  I 
suppose  they  must  have  been  composed  by  him- 
self—  written  on  the  fly-leaf: 

"  *  Teach  me  how  to  keep  Thy  precepts. 
Teach  me  how  to  read  Thy  word; 
Teach  me  how  my  tongue  can  praise  Thee 
As  my  heart,  O  gracious  Lord!  * 

I  recollect  just  before  it  happened  we  were 
talking  about  the  Bible,  and  I  couldn't  help 
confessing  that  I  didn't  like  reading  it,  and  in 
fact  rather  disliked  it.  I  never  thought  that 
God  was  about  to  rouse  my  attention  to  my 
soul  by  such  a  terrible  event.  It  is  wonderful 
how  many  different  ways  he  has  of  leading  us 
to  him,  but  certainly  this  was  the  means  of 
showing  me  how  dangerous  it  was  to  be  living 
without  God  in  the  world. 

"  I  shall  not  make  this  letter  any  longer,  as  I 
am  to  see  you  so  soon  at  Oxford,  so 

I  remain,  my  dear  Cholmondeley, 
Yours  very  sincerely, 

Francis  H.  Lurn." 


// 


CIRCULATION  DEPARTMENT 

202  Main  Library 


AN  PERIOD  1 
HOME  USE 

2 

3 

5 

6 

ALL  BOOKS  AAAY  BE  RECALLED  AFTER  7  DAYS 
1 -month  loans  may  be  renewed  by  calling  642-3405 
lonth  loons  may  be  recharged  by  bringing  books  to  Circulation  De; 
Renewals  and  recharges  may  be  made  4  days  prior  to  due  date 

DUE   AS  STAMPED  BELOW 

H6  i  b  'hi'6 

RCK      MAR 

4  78 

jULiuiaai 

KCCW-JWII'^ 

', 

SENTO 

ii  ILL 

AUG  1 

;  im 

U.C.  BEI 

lY^VES 

^MNO.  DD6,  40m   10*77 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  BERKELE 
BERKELEY,  CA  94720 


CDEDflfifl^bl 


'~o6835 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


W;^' 


\/ 


